Mirror Lake

Walking on the Wild Side

Mr. N has a penchant for the precarious. He adores walking on steep ledges and peering over. Being part mountain goat, he has never yet taken a tumble but he wears a sturdy harness and leash so that I can pull him up if need be.

I've never had to save him from falling but being able to haul him up by his harness and leash has come in handy a number of times when I've had to rescue him from aggressive dogs and bikes about to run him over.

Isn't he ALL legs?

He decided it would be an excellent idea to walk on the rocks outlining the ledge instead of the path. Past the rocks? Probably a hundred-foot drop to the water. We made sure to hang onto his leash very tightly. He loves peering down at the water and scrambling onto rocks so we let him have his fun as long as we have a safeguard in place.

When we were hiking Beacon Rock which is all switchbacks with Sage, we had to keep admonishing Sage not to get too close to the edge because we certainly couldn't haul her back up if she fell (size + equipment + lack of strength). Mr. N took a certain glee in being able to explore where she couldn't.

Which precautions do you take to save your dog from themselves?

Hiking Tumalo Falls

The Buddy System for Dogs

Lots of things want to eat Mr. N. Birds of prey. Coyotes. Other bigger dogs. So when we hike (especially off-leash), we usually go with bigger dogs as a safeguard.

I refer to Sage as Mr. N's "muscle" and she will run interference occasionally and charge other dogs when they're bothering him and won't back off. When Sage is overwhelmed by a mob of kids, Mr. N is happy to soak in the attention and perform tricks while Sage retreats. The buddy system works for dogs too!

We were at 1000 Acres the other day when a woman asked, "who does the small dog belong to?" I responded and she told me there was an eagle across the river and to keep an eye out for it. I did keep a wary watch on it but it didn't try to make a grab for Mr. N or anything. Maybe because Sage was usually within a few feet of Mr. N.

But mostly the dogs just hang out together and play together. Mr. N plays with sticks more often due to Sage's influence and he likes playing in water a smidgen more. I'm not quite sure what Sage has picked up from Mr. N.

Does your dog have a hiking/playing/field trip buddy?

Author Photo

The bf says this looks like Mr. N's author photo

Running Away to the Coast

As a respite from the heat wave, we drove down to the Oregon Coast with the dogs. Both dogs were very excited to be able to run around like maniacs for the first time in days. Well Mr. N always runs around like a maniac. 

Mr. N and his friend Sage are totally "bros." They even trot in unison.

We found this little wooden structure. Sage is like new beach house! Mr. N thinks the house is lacking in modern conveniences.

Then we ran into one of the beach guardians. A dragon methinks.

Mr. N thinks riding on a dragon is a grave responsibility and should be taken as such.

Three hours into our beach walk, Mr. N is still full of vim and played chase with another dog on the beach.

Uh oh. Mr. N is trapped by the incoming tide (no dogs were harmed in the making of this photo)! I "rescued" him and he went off to solicit sympathy from strangers.

Mr. N is a social butterfly and made friends with random people on the beach and demanded petting and posed for photos.

I had to call him away from all his new friends so we could eat lunch and head home. Where do you and your dogs go to escape the heat?

Wordless Wednesday #90 - Sun Shield Tee Review and Giveaway

Mr. N practically lives in his Gold Paw fleeces for half the year. They are comfortable, warm and wash well. In the summer, he doesn't usually wear anything besides his cooling coat. Now Gold Paw has come out with a summer option: the Sun Shield Tee. We were sent one to review. 

They come in four colors (fuchsia, grey, royal blue and turquoise heather) and are made with a lightweight jersey that is UPF 50 rated (blocks 98 percent of the sun's UV rays). Because Mr. N is light-colored and sporting a summer cut, he is especially vulnerable to the sun. Pets can also get sunburn and other ailments from too much sun exposure. 

The tees are made in a wide range of sizes (2-30). Mr. N wears an eight. The tee is really thin and silky, it feels a bit like bathing suit fabric. Like Gold Paw's other products, they are sewn in the US and the tags are made with recycled materials. 

Mr. N had no trouble hiking, chasing after Sage or wading in the water while wearing the tee. It didn't chafe or bother him at all. The bright turquoise color also helped with visibility because he blends right into the landscape otherwise.

I probably would not put it on him in triple digit weather (or go out for that matter!) but in lower high temperatures, it didn't seem to make him warmer. We were out in the sun for three hours this hike. This will be a welcome addition to his summer wardrobe and I'll have to research some pet sunscreens for his face. 

What do you do to protect your dog from the sun? 

This post was sponsored by Gold Paw. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

Wordless Wednesday #89 - Fairyland

FitDog Friday #77 - Visiting Long Beach (Washington) with the Cascadian Nomads

Eons ago (February to be exact), the Cascadian Nomads invited us on a beach trip to Long Beach, Wash. My friend R. came along for the ride and we loaded up her two dogs and Mr. N into the car and set off.

We met on the beach with the Nomads after Mr. N's horse escapade. Mr. N was very excited about meeting Leo again and meeting Amelia for the first time. He calmed down eventually especially after spending some time in Amelia's cat tunnel.

We (the humans + dogs, the cat and bird stayed behind) explored the Discovery Trail, a paved route through the dunes showcasing various pieces of public art. All six dogs posed (some more than others) for a photo on the trail.

The dogs perched on top of a bronze showing Clark examining a 10-foot long sturgeon. 

Wilhelm and Mr. N rode the dolphins carved out of a tree stump.

And the dogs kept company with a preserved skeleton of a Pacific gray whale. We actually walked right past this and had to backtrack to find it.

We walked back on the beach to the car while enjoying the view of the sunset. 

The dogs basked in the last rays on the sun except for Mr. N who was bedraggled and wet after walking through too many "puddles" on the beach.  He started shivering and I had to wrap him in my down coat and carry him for a bit while he regained warmth. Bethany commented that it was a shame that Huxley couldn't share some of his surplus fur. 

He warmed up though and had a last frolic on the sand before we gathered everyone for a group photo on the beach.  From left to right: Bella, Lyndi, Mr. N, Leo the Cockatoo, Brychwyn, Huxley, Amelia the cat and Wilhelm.  

It was a lovely beach trip and hike and we hope to see the Nomads again soon. 

And don't forget to enter our giveaway for a bottle of Aloe & Oatmeal shampoo from Earthbath. 

Hiking Hardy Ridge & Phlox Point

We were invited to go on an early morning hike last weekend so we blearily made our way out of bed and to meet people from the dog hiking group. Our group consisted of Aussies, a Cattle Dog, a Lab and Mr. N.

I made sure to pack plenty of water for the two of us and I stashed a fleece and Mr. N's cooling vest in my pack. I was a little worried if I would make it through the hike. I knew Mr. N would be fine, his hiking stamina is much better than mine. And I was right.

The wildflowers were all abloom and we saw tons of Indian paintbrush and even some Chocolate Lilies. 

Photo by Rebecca Richardson

Photo by Rebecca Richardson

Photo by Rebecca Richardson

Mr. N trotted in front of me and made sure I kept up with the rest of the group. It got warm quickly and layers came off. Mr. N started off wearing a fleece and was wearing his cooling vest by the time we got to the summit. 

Photo by Rebecca Richardson

We let the dogs sit in the shade and ate a snack up on the summit while admiring the scenery. Mr. N was a little warm but the way down was mostly in the shade and he recovered quickly. Some of the other dogs weren't as fortunate having dark, thick coats. 

Photo by Rebecca Richardson

It was a lovely hike with stunning views but I think we were all ready to go home after nine miles of hiking. We all slept very well that night.

Photo by Rebecca Richardson

Wordless Wednesday #83 - Amidst all the Wildflowers

Photos by: Rebecca Richardson

BW Sunday #88 - Woodland Portrait

Photo by: Rebecca Richardson

The Labyrinth Hike or the Hike that Wants to Kill Us

Mr. N is such a poser. During our pre-hike at 1000 Acres, there was a tour group(?) walking around, several of them armed with DSLRs. Mr. N sees a woman with a camera and trots over and strikes a pose. She starts taking pictures of him. Mr. N is the local wildlife, I guess? 

Afterwards, we lunched in Hood River at the Waterfront Park. We were trying to take photos of the dogs perched on the rocks. Sage was on the rocks with Mr. N until she dived into the water. So Mr. N posed by himself. He was not perturbed by this. 

We journeyed to our final destination, the Labyrinth. And then walked another half-mile from the parking area to the trail head. Supposedly, there was a waterfall on the way but either we completely missed it or it dried up.

Shortly after we were on the trail, we ran into two people who warned us about a rattlesnake up further on the trail and poison oak. We were prepared for the presence of ticks but snakes? Ugh. Hence why we started calling the trail; the trail that wants to kill us. We were very cautious on the trail and scanning every surface for potential snakes.

The trail did boast splendid views. And another waterfall that we couldn't find. The trail was said to be "unmarked but obvious."

We reached a point where there were two trails and we took the wrong one. After meandering, we followed the other trail up. We passed through several open grassy meadow areas where we saw at least a dozen hawks circling. Ann started calling Mr. N "hawk bait."

It turned out to be a warmer day than we anticipated and Mr. N plopped down at some point while I was trying to take a picture.

Mr. N started limping and I picked him up and carried him for a while. I think he just stepped on one of the rocks wrong. I was mildly concerned I'd have to carry him the rest of the way but as we prepared to head back, he started squirming and was ready to zoom home. Poor Sage was suffering from the heat and was lagging behind in spurts and fits. The travails of being a double-coated, black dog.

 Doesn't Mr. N look like an anime character?

Luckily, we did not end up seeing any snakes or running into poison oak. I did find a tick on Mr. N though. He was thoroughly inspected and bathed when we got home.

What hiking hazards have you faced? 

Wordless Wednesday #82 - Dog Hiking Group Meetup

Photos by: Rebecca Richardson