Fuel Incredible: Speed skater Ivanie Blondin’s beloved pets keep her grounded on her path to Milano Cortina

Three-time Olympian speed skater Ivanie Blondin has had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows when it comes to sport—she’s stood on the top of the Olympic podium, she’s had a fall as a medal favourite.

For Blondin, one of the best things is that when she gets home, her dog (Brooke), her cat (Boo), and her parrot (Gizmo) really don’t care which way it went—they’re just happy to see her.

Team Canada has recently announced a partnership with premium pet food brand Nulo, a brand that knows first hand the essential role that pets play in emotional resilience and everyday mental wellness. This is especially true for individuals navigating high-stress environments — including elite athletes.

Pets as a grounding influence is certainly not a phenomenon unique to Blondin. Psychiatrist Dr. Ben McCutchen, Chief of Psychiatry at the Residence at Homewood and Homewood Ravensview, says that in his work with athletes he frequently sees the difference pets can make.

“Life at a high level of sport is intense. There’s pressure to perform, constant training, travel, and sometimes long stretches away from family. Pets offer something very simple but powerful: companionship that is unconditional, nonjudgmental, and grounding,” said McCutchen.

Blondin has always been an animal lover. Her affection for birds was fostered by the movie Hook. She’s had Gizmo since 2010 and he’s seen her progress from making her World Cup debut, through three Olympic cycles, and heading towards her fourth Games. He’s watched her add another layer of elite sport to her life, racing as a professional road cyclist for the first time in 2024.

Just before PyeongChang 2018, Blondin adopted Brooke, a gentle giant of a St. Bernard/Pyrenees mix. Those Games did not go the way Blondin had hoped—a fall in the mass start semifinal prevented her from advancing to the final. The Canadian women’s team pursuit narrowly missed the podium in fourth place and Blondin felt a heavy sense of responsibility. There were also narrow misses in the 5000m, where she finished fifth, and the 3000m, where she finished sixth. 

“I was pretty devastated coming home from the Games, and mentally very unwell,” said Blondin. “I knew what made me happy was having animals and just caring for other beings.”

After the PyeongChang Games, Blondin and her husband started fostering animals.

Blondin’s love of animals is so strong she had actually studied to be a veterinary office assistant. More than anything, she was drawn to the most challenging of cases, the animals that really needed someone to fight for them.

“I just kept filling the house with more and more animals. I really like to focus on the broken cases. We had cats with amputations, dogs with behavourial issues and neurological conditions,” said Blondin.

“We had a dog at one point that had hydrocephalus. When we first got him, he couldn’t even stand on his own. By the end of the three month mark, he was running the trails with me. It was wild, the transformation, through physical therapy and everything we put into him.”

Nulo actively partners with shelters, rescue organizations, and adoption programs to donate food and raise awareness for pets in need. Nulo’s pet food products are inspired by the same nutritional principles that fuel Olympic performance: clean, low glycemic ingredients for balanced energy and optimal health. Supporting the health and transition of rescue animals aligns perfectly with the brand’s core mission: providing better nutrition for every pet.

Blondin helped countless animals gain a new lease on life. But she also realizes that they were giving something right back to her—peace.

“It was healing me also,” she said. “I focused on helping the animals and that ended up helping me.”

This statement has some science to back it up, McCutchen confirms.

“There’s been research suggesting that pets and therapy animals may help reduce stress and support mental health,” said McCutchen. “Reviews and meta-analyses point to possible benefits, including reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, and perceived stress, although findings aren’t always consistent across studies. From a physiological standpoint, the effects make sense. Spending time with animals might lower cortisol, increase oxytocin, and support healthier cardiovascular responses during stress.”

Heading towards the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Nulo will join Team Canada athletes and their loyal companions on the journey to Milano Cortina and Los Angeles, developing initiatives that nurture the wellbeing of the whole athlete and the whole pet, both physically and emotionally. The company has prioritized working with athletes with pets because of the shared values of dedication, wellness, and the relentless pursuit of excellence that they see with the sporting community.

“At Nulo, we’ve always believed the pursuit of peak performance—whether in sport or in life—is about more than just physical ability. It’s about fueling both body and mind, and pets play an incredible role in that equation. Athletes know the discipline it takes to perform at the highest level, but they also know the grounding, joy, and emotional support that comes from their bond with a pet,” said Nulo’s founder, Michael Landa. “That connection reflects our mission at Nulo: to provide the best possible nutrition so pets can thrive and, in turn, enrich the lives of the people who love them.”

Blondin has had to postpone her fostering system for a bit because the last cat she fostered, a tuxedo named Boo, didn’t want to leave.

“She got so attached to our dog within the first 24 hours,” said Blondin. “Right away the first night she was sleeping with Brooke in her bed and snuggling. We were like ‘oh my god, we can’t separate them!”

So that was how the pack was formed: first a parrot, then a dog, then a cat.

“Brooke is very protective of Gizmo. So it’s a weird trio, but it works,” Blondin said with a chuckle.

Brooke is happy to tag along with Blondin not only for walks and hikes, but also anytime she has outdoor dryland training, or therapy at the oval.

“She’s kind of a team mascot at this point,” said Blondin. “I’ll bring her and she’s kind of like a therapy dog for all the athletes.”

And it’s because of this special bond and the therapeutic benefits that pets bring to all Canadians, that Nulo is collaborating with Team Canada to support athletes and the four-legged companions who provide invaluable support to them on the road to Milano Cortina and LA 2028. To learn more about this recently announced partnership, visit this link.