From greeting guests to scaring away pests – dogs have earned a place for themselves at many BC wineries.<\/p>\n
When Troy Townsin – a former wine columnist – began to notice the trend around the province, he decided to showcase the four-legged friends in their element by featuring them in a calendar.<\/p>\n
While visiting wineries to sign copies of his books, Townsin realized that more often than not, there would be a friendly dog to keep him company in the tasting room.<\/p>\n
“Lake Breeze Vineyards in Naramata is where is happened first,” he said.<\/p>\n
The Winery Dogs of BC calendar debuted in 2007. Back then, Townsin remembers struggling to find enough wineries willing to participate.<\/p>\n
“But it’s just gotten more and more popular. This year there’s 45 (participating wineries) and we had at least 65 that wanted to be included,” he said.<\/p>\n
Many of the dogs featured this year are from the Okanagan.<\/p>\n
The 2024 calendar includes a photo of six dogs together at Covert Farms in Oliver, which Townsin said is the most dogs in one shot to ever get featured.<\/p>\n
Proceeds from calendar sales benefit two charities – the Cure Blau Syndrome Foundation, which was founded by Townsin to help people suffering from an inflammatory condition that resulted in the death of his six-year-old daughter Lexi; and to the BC SPCA, where more than $10,000 has been donated so far through his efforts.<\/p>\n