Capturing Our Four Legged Friends

Here is Eva:
-breed unknown
-3 years
-60 lbs

Always itching to go!

Here’s Allie
– Australian Cattledog x some sort of shepherd?? (guessing)
– around 6 yo
– 60 lb

booted!

Axl's the same hound in my profile picture and always accompanies me hiking or pretty much doing anything, including work….
– Name: Axl
– Breed: Boxer
– Age: 3.5y
– Weight: 75-80lbs

In the woods on our last trip (need to get him a waterproof stuff sack for the blanket):

At work the next day after our adventure:

John: The 3rd pic of Eva is really awe inspiring. Has a certain mystique vibe.

Sharon: The 2nd pic of Allie had me rolling out of my chair with laughter. She should be the poster dog for the brand of shoes she is wearing.

Alex: I miss my boxer (lived until she was 17). Beautiful, smart and extremely loyal breed of dog. He's certainly not UL, especially that TONGUE! Love his brendal colors. :P

Thank you all for sharing. Animals are great… I won't post my Siamese cat though, unless I get requests. haha

Thanks for sharing, your pictures crack me up!

Daniel, that 3rd picture has a guy at my office convinced that my dog is part wolf. In reality, she pooped about 5 seconds after the picture was taken.

Axl is my first boxer and so far I can definitely attest to his loyalty. When we're out in the woods he's great about staying close, especially when I'm setting up camp and I've let him mill about off-leash. He's never farther than about 30' away. From a practical standpoint he's great for hauling me off steep grades if I need the helping tug. Plus as his packweight lightens as he eats his food I can unload stuff from mine into his!

I'd actually love to get him a better sleeping setup than what I have now. His little orange Samsonite travel blanket has sufficed on mild evenings but I know at some point he's going to need a small quilt and pad in cooler temps, especially if I have any hope of keeping him off my SynMat UL (which I suspect will be less resistant to dog-nail punctures versus my old regular SynMat). Also need to get him an insulating layer of some kind. I know Ruffwear makes a number of dog-jackets although I'm not sure which one would work the best for him.

10 year old Queensland Heeler mutt mix
Her backpacking days are over but we take a short trail hikes nearly every day.

Bodhi, 4 yr old Pitbull mix, about 70 lb

Ike, what is that full body suit your pitbull is wearing? Looks warm!

It's from K9 topcoats. Pitbulls are not the most cold tolerant of breeds.

Name: Molly
Breed: Brittany
Age: 15
Weight: 39 lbs

As if in a flashback to that scene in "A Christmas Story" where Ralphy discovers a pink bunny outfit underneath the tree, a few years ago Molly received a ridiculously dorky 'little yellow riding hood' rain cape from one of my relatives.

They begged us to put it on her, take some pics and then email them some (proof?) photos.

I dutifully took Molly out on the first rainy day and put on her cape. She looked up at me as if to say, "You've GOT to be ****ing kidding me."

The irony is…after a few times out in the rain with the cape on she discovered it was a heck of a lot better than getting soaked whenever we went out on the trails on a soggy day. Now, she won't set foot outside when it's raining without the rain coat.

Go figure…

I forgot to mention that I really enjoyed seeing all you folks' dogs.

Made my day.

Name: Mushka

Breed: Mini Pinscher/Manchester Terrier (She's from the shelter, so who knows for sure. She's taller and leaner than a lot of pinschers and has a white chest so I suspect she's more Manchester.

Age: Almost 3

Weight: 15 pounds

This dog was born to run. Has done a 22 mile trail run with me and still wanted to play fetch later that day. She's quite the predator as well. A neighbor's chicken got into our yard the other day; She ate the entire chicken, whole, everything except the wings. Completely defied the laws of physics…I don't know how a whole chicken fits into a stomach way smaller than my fist. Terribly bloated, it did slow her down for a few hours. She's quite fond of squirrels as well. Caught her eating the back half of one on our couch a month ago…

Nice thing about the small size for backpacking: Doesn't require much food or water, if she overheats she can ride my pack and she doesn't require any sleeping gear…tucks into my sleeping bag or a jacket rather well.

Mushka is my hero.

"She's quite the predator as well."

She looks like a born ratter alright. How's she do with snakes?

We've had 3 run ins with rattlers so far; every time I saw the snake as soon as she did and I yelled at her (making her freeze) before she had much time to think about it.
So I still don't really know if she'd go for one, though she seemed hesitant with them.

Our biggest problem is coyotes; she's really good bait when trail running at night. I've had to stop running with her after dark in one canyon because we've been confronted or trailed so many times.

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Next dog I want is a boxer. I love the ridiculously soulful look about them.

Never backpacked with them, but definitely my babies. I lost Chance, in front, a couple of years ago. Casey's still prowling the back yard, digging up moles and chasing rabbits. She's closing in on 14 now. Both were pound puppies.

.

"I saw the snake as soon as she did and I yelled at her (making her freeze) before she had much time to think about it."

Wise call, Craig. For a dog that size, no matter how feisty, the first mistake is probably going to be the last.

She probably wouldn't fare well with Ol' Wiley either. That canyon scene has to be a little weird, I'd think. I can just see their eyes glowing in your flashlight beam. I ran into about a half dozen of them one time solo up in Wright Lakes Basin, in broad daylight, and that was a mind concentrating moment for me. They left me alone, but for a brief moment I wasn't so sure how things were going to turn out, and my gut got real cold. Running into them at night when you're basically chumming them in with a small dog is probably even more so. Sort of like surfing and Great Whites? ;0)

Craig, just an FYI that you can get your pooch an injection that goes a long way towards protecting them against hemotoxic rattlesnake venom.

Since you live amidst rattlers I bet your veterinarian knows about it and could help you out.

Living in Texas we have poisonous snakes everywhere, so I have been getting shots for my dog for years (without any noticeable side effects.)

Just something to consider.

– Ken

Douglas, those are some happy looking snow walkers you've got there. Hope you get to take your remaining dog out this winter.

Here's the most recent good picture I have of Hysson, a 3/4 Lab, 1/4 Golden Retriever who is a "release" dog from Canine Companions for Independence. This was taken several years ago in Wyoming's Wind River Range. I need to take some more pictures, since he's going on 11 years old so probably won't be around for many more years. He certainly doesn't think he's an old dog, though; half the time he thinks he's still a puppy! We did have a big scare last summer when his blood tests showed his kidneys were starting to go. Fortunately, after getting him on a lower protein diet (primarily adding cooked rice and veggies to his kibble), his kidneys are back to normal.

When he reaches his 11th birthday, since one dog year is equivalent to 7 human years, both of us will be the same age!

Mary, Hysson is adorable.

And he's lucky to spend his golden years with someone who cares for him.

This here is Bixby. 100 lbs of mischief and entertainment. We think he’s mostly yellow lab and around 4 now. We bailed him out of doggie jail a little over three years ago.

Beautiful photos!