Beekeeping dog helps owners deliver honey in Edmonton
Growing up on a hobby farm on the northwest coast of British Columbia, Tracy Brindley has lived with many dogs in the past, but none quite as fashionable and fearless as Moose.
The one-year-old yellow Labrador sports his own beekeeping suit, co-inspects the hives, and even helps deliver honey produced by his owner’s urban bee colony in Edmonton.
Brindley says it all started when Moose showed interest while she was outside inspecting her backyard bees.
“I’d put him inside and he would be barking and his nose would be shoved against the glass,” said Brindley. “I was just a little nervous about bringing him out here because he was so curious all the time, and then I thought, ‘You know what? Maybe I could get him a bee suit.”
The white head-to-toe uniform keeps beekeepers protected against stings during inspections.
After no luck finding a dog bee suit online, Brindley decided to fit Moose with a beekeeping veil she already owned, which he’s been sporting ever since.
'Moose' sports a hooded veil, keeping him safe from potential bee stings.
“Now when I do inspections he can come out with me. He can come right up to the hive,” said Brindley.
Brindley says Moose has never been stung, despite his curious demeanor. She will often find him at her heels during inspections, which involve exposing hundreds of honey-making bees.
“A few times I’ve looked behind me and he’s right there and it’s really hard to leave an open hive inspection and put your dog inside,” said Brindley.
Aside from keeping his owners company while they tend to bees, Moose tags along to deliver honey to friends and family. Brindley says this season she wants to create an addition to Moose’s beekeeping gear.
“I’m hoping to design a harness that can hold the honey jars.”
Moose not only delivers the honey, he also gets to taste it.
“When I have a honey jar I can’t scrape any more honey out of, I give it to him and he gets as far in there as he possibly can,” said Brindley. “He’s a lab, they love food, but especially honey.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.