Spam from our hike yesterday
Well, we went back to the place where we got attacked by that devil dog a few weeks ago. This time we took dogs (Ahi, Loa, & Kona) that were a bit more manageable in that type of situation (in other words now CO, Akita, or CC).
It went well, there were A LOT of off-leash dogs and A LOT of tourists but it was still not bad. Most of the off-leash dog people were tourists and they quickly leashed up their dogs when they saw us - I had no issues with them. Tho, one did run up to great Loa (rudely) and she gave him a rather sharp correction on the muzzle... That dog screamed - then I screamed at the guy - and he was really nice and apologetic, then I felt like an ass. Oh well. Not the first time I have felt that way. LOL
One lady was running with 5 off-leash dogs! That really bugged me. There is no way you can control 5 dogs off-lead. I gave her the "there is a leash law here" speech as she ran by... but she was a local and so she couldn't care less. Those dogs completely surrounded me and Kona, I just dropped his leash and Kona did really well. I was pleased with his response.
The hike was nice, it was very crowded and so it took a long time, but it was nice. I think we hiked about 6 miles.
I got some nice pics too, I think I got some of the best pics of Kona wearing his pack so far.
Here is the spam...
Driving to the hike:
On the hike:
The top of the trail:
Headed home (down):
Landscapes:
Kona wearing his pack:
*I wanted to add, Ahi did really well. We were worried her knees may still be bothering her, but she didn't slow down at all. Also, she was pretty chill with all the dogs and people - she's maturing!
) I was worried Ahi may not be able to hike with us anymore, but we tested on this hike (pretty easy hike) and she did great! So, I am relieved.
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THEN....
On the way home I saw my dream ride:
A BRND NEW MERCEDES-BENZ UNIMOG
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It went well, there were A LOT of off-leash dogs and A LOT of tourists but it was still not bad. Most of the off-leash dog people were tourists and they quickly leashed up their dogs when they saw us - I had no issues with them. Tho, one did run up to great Loa (rudely) and she gave him a rather sharp correction on the muzzle... That dog screamed - then I screamed at the guy - and he was really nice and apologetic, then I felt like an ass. Oh well. Not the first time I have felt that way. LOL
One lady was running with 5 off-leash dogs! That really bugged me. There is no way you can control 5 dogs off-lead. I gave her the "there is a leash law here" speech as she ran by... but she was a local and so she couldn't care less. Those dogs completely surrounded me and Kona, I just dropped his leash and Kona did really well. I was pleased with his response.
The hike was nice, it was very crowded and so it took a long time, but it was nice. I think we hiked about 6 miles.
I got some nice pics too, I think I got some of the best pics of Kona wearing his pack so far.
Here is the spam...
Driving to the hike:
On the hike:
The top of the trail:
Headed home (down):
Landscapes:
Kona wearing his pack:
*I wanted to add, Ahi did really well. We were worried her knees may still be bothering her, but she didn't slow down at all. Also, she was pretty chill with all the dogs and people - she's maturing!
) I was worried Ahi may not be able to hike with us anymore, but we tested on this hike (pretty easy hike) and she did great! So, I am relieved.----
THEN....
On the way home I saw my dream ride:
A BRND NEW MERCEDES-BENZ UNIMOG
----
Comments
Kudos to you and the dogs for doing so well with so many people/dogs.
Glad to see Ahi back in action! How is she today? Any soreness? Her and Loa are so beautiful!
Cool Car, but you would need to modify the back for doggie transports :P
I was already thinking you had bought it. I'd be there so fast to have a go at it :-P
We had to deal w/ a quite a few off-leash pups at the campground (total rule breakers, I hate em!!)...on the last day, when all the tourists showed up, someone let their little dog go which immediately ran up to Kahlo (who was very guarded about our campsite)...the owner was freaking out at Kahlo's size and nearly in tears and scared to death that Kahlo was going to eat her dog, and I was actually very cautious in seperating them...the lady didn't like my percieved sloth like behavior...but also didn't seem to realize that if I ran in there and started grabbing, that things could and would rapidly escalate...We finally managed to get between the two dogs and safely hand her dog back to her without any incidence...Kahlo seemed more curious than anything. Oddly enough, the little dog was named "Taco"...I had to kinda muse that her dog could have easily become Kahlos main course...and Kahlo LOVES mexican. We kindly reminded her that there is a leash rule in the area for a reason.....I swear, people can be soooo thick-headed!
Glad to see Ahi back in action! How is she today? Any soreness?
>> She seem fine, actually Kona seems a bit more sore than her. Ahi seems fine, actually she was up for a short walk last night and a ride to dinner. She's a trooper.
I was already thinking you had bought it. I'd be there so fast to have a go at it
>> Man I wish I could buy a truck like that (technically it's a tractor not a truck, but w/e)
What kind of harness are your shikoku wearing ?
>> They are Ruffwear "Web Master Harness". We like them for hiking as they give us a handle to grab onto. Kona's pack is also a Ruffwear pack and built on the Web Master Harness.
On average, how much weight do they carry??
>> Kona was the only one in a pack, he carried all of the dogs water; about a gallon of water, so he was carrying about 8lbs. A fit (and properly conditioned) dog should be able to carry 15% of their weight, 20% if they are a "working dog" (like a Malamute, GSD, CC) - I consider Kona a "working dog".
Does it impact their fur or cause hot spots at all??
>> No, we have not seen anything like this, but if he wore for several hours a day for a week+ I could see that happening.
Is that truck a private vehicle or state issue?!?
>> Private. They are used commercially, but you can buy one too. The Unimog is really an amazing vehicle built on some very basic concepts created in the 1930s that never trickled into the mainstream. The most significant is the Portal Axles:
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And I am very glad to hear that Ahi did so well on the hike.
1. You have AMAZING hiking! Florida hiking = SWAMP!
2. You get to hike with 2 shika & a kai.
3. You get to hike with 2 shika & a kai as amazing as Ahi, Loa, & Kona.
ENVY!!!!
Thanks for the spam Brad! Glad this hike went better
Kona is the MAN! Yay about Ahi!
Loa's tail is down - is she nervous on hikes?
In all seriousness, nice pics! it looks beautiful. Is 6 miles typical for you and the dogs, or do you usually just do what you feel depending on the day? Do you go different distances with different dogs? (sorry if you answered that before!).
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Jessika - I missed your questions before, sorry...
How many pounds is Kona carring now?
>> He usually carries 8 - 10 pounds.
Do you guys plan to go backpacking with the pups?
>> Yes, and we have been, but not for a year. We love to camp but it's very hard as we have to board all the dogs when we camp - gets kinda $$$. I need to find someone I can camp with here, Jen is not really in love with it.
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Jen -
Loa's tail is down - is she nervous on hikes?
>> No, not nervous. Loa has a very lazy tail, it's very loose. Ahi's is like bent metal, it rarely moves while Loa's is all over the place. She likes to hold it down and curled slightly to the right so it makes a upside-down "?" symbol. Notice it's up in the pics she is moving in - I have a theory that she drops it when she is thinking... but I may be wrong.
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Is 6 miles typical for you and the dogs, or do you usually just do what you feel depending on the day?
>> It depends on the terrain, this hike was super easy so we went longer. We would have probably doubled it if there were less people. The other people slow us down as we have to step off the trail to let them pass. The dogs tend to start slowing down after about 15 miles. Some trails around here are very tough and require a lot of climbing, those trails we may only make it 3 miles or so with the dogs.
Do you go different distances with different dogs?
>> Yes, the Akita don't usually hike more than 3 - 5 miles. The Shika will hike forever. The Shibas HATE to hike, Maui will literally sit down and not move - he throws a fit... he loves walks, but not hikes... no idea why. Masha loves hikes, I think she will be a long distance hiker (especially in cold weather) - same for Blue - Blue can go forever... but we have to take it slow for a while since he is just a pup.
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Im glad that you had no bad experiences during this trip, like the last one. And its really nice to see that´your dogs have the chance to get outside and experience so many great things like hiking etc with you!! We all know that you are exspecially responsible about the activity of your dogs, and I love that!! Go on and give us more spam
Steve