Inaugural national contest draws 90 dogs and 11,000 votes, with prizes from YETI, Baffin, RUX, SandmanHotels and more.
SQUAMISH, B.C., November 9, 2026– Bandit, a mini heeler mix from Smithers, B.C., and the adventure partner of Sarah Belford, has been named the first-ever Canada's Next Top Adventure Dog. The national contest, created bySquamish-based FRAPS Institute for Adventure Dogs, celebrated the dogs who summit, swim, get muddy and keepup with their people outdoors.
Season 1 drew 90 dogs from across Canada and more than 11,000 votes from 2,400 individual voters, all with zeropaid advertising. Bandit takes home a grand prize package valued at $15,000. Felix, with owner Alana See, was named runner-up.
HOW IT WORKED
Entrants competed through five weekly photo challenges: Summit Snaps, Muddiest Dog, Water Dogs, Trail Zoomiesand Basecamp Buddies. A public vote set the top nine, the judges added two wildcards, and the judging panel chose the champion from those 11 finalists.
"We built this to celebrate the dogs who make every trail better, and Canada showed up," said Alan Wood,founder of FRAPS Institute and creator of the contest. "Bandit is everything an adventure dog should be. Huge thanks to our sponsors for backing a first-year contest and putting real gear behind it."
A CALENDAR THAT GIVES BACK
The contest's 2027 wall calendar features the champion, the weekly challenge winners and the judges. As champion'sowner, Sarah chose the calendar's beneficiary: 100% of profits go to Northwest Animal Shelter in Smithers, B.C.Calendars are available now at fraps.ca.
SEASON 2
Entries for Season 2 open June 1, 2027 at topadventuredog.ca
ABOUT CANADA'S NEXT TOP ADVENTURE DOG
Canada's Next Top Adventure Dog is a national photo contest for active dogs, presented by FRAPS Institute forAdventure Dogs. Learn more at topadventuredog.ca.
ABOUT FRAPS INSTITUTE
FRAPS Institute for Adventure Dogs makes trail-ready fuel for active dogs, with no glycerine and no fillers. The name comes from "frenetic random activity periods," better known as the zoomies, and the company's Chief Exploration Officer is Alma, the dog who started it all. Based in Squamish, B.C., FRAPS is stocked in 175+ stores across Canada and gives 2% of sales to dog rescues through its 2% For The Tails program.
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Media contact
Alan Wood, Founder, FRAPS Institute
alan@fraps.ca | 905-616-7218
fraps.ca | @givefraps