Adventure Dog Podcast

Today’s episode is with Erin, and her vizsla Roo @reddogcoffeeroasters, providing perks and bringing the community together over coffee. Hailing from Michigan, this duo loves to travel around the country for upland hunting.

Growing up, Erin was no stranger to high drive working dogs, having had family dogs and previously showed and competed in agility. So when she found Roo through a reputable breeder, she immediately began training Roo for adventuring and upland hunting. An American term, upland hunting is generally done for ground birds at higher elevations, as opposed to wetland hunting where ducks are more common. Pointer dogs, like Roo, are used to locate birds that hunters will then flush out. Other dog breeds are also used to flush, or cause the birds to fly out into the open.

Living in rural Michigan, there are many places to hunt, trail run, and mountain bike. Erin, also previously a professional mountain biker, loves to get Roo out on the trails. Some of their favorite places to go are Andrews University trails where they sponsor and help maintain the trails, Grand Mere State Park along Lake Michigan with some magnificent sand dunes, and Fort Custer Recreation Area which was converted from a military training ground.

For upland hunting, Erin and Roo are fortunate to have pheasant hunting within thirty minutes of their home on public hunting grounds. They also frequent northern Michigan for ruffed grouse. Last fall, they had the opportunity to travel to Crested Butte, Colorado to hunt dusky grouse, a bird native to the Rocky Mountains. In Wyoming, they hunted Hungarian partridge and sharp-tailed grouse. And in Alabama they found bobwhite quail. Speaking of Alabama, one of Erin’s all time favorite trail systems is at Oak Mountain State Park, just south of Birmingham.

When not out hunting or adventuring on the trails, Erin and Roo can be found at their home based coffee roasting business, Red Dog Coffee Roasters, established in early 2018. Being a vizsla owner, Erin was inspired to build her business with a major focus on the breed. Her business model includes community outreach with charitable contributions to multiple organizations such as the Vizsla Club of America’s All Star Review Hemangiosarcoma fund, and the Ruffed Grouse Society @ruffedgrousesociety. They also support vizsla rescue in many ways, through Airsong’s Angels, Inc. as well as Midwest Vizsla Rescue. A more extensive list of vizsla rescue information can be found on the RDCR website. Last but not least, having been a professional athlete, Erin created Team RDCR @teamrdcr to provide sponsorship to both amateur and professional athletes.

Her shout outs go to her husband, Roger, and to all of the athletes at Team RDCR @teamrdcr!

Thanks for listening!

Here’s a link to the U.S. State Parks Status during Covid-19

Today’s episode is with my vet Dr. Angie Zinkus @germantownparkwayah and covers canine colds and Covid-19 concerns.

Just this past week, my dog and co-host Roux @rouxtheshark came down with a bit of a cough. While not severe, it did cause some concern and like any good pawrent, I took her to see our vet, Dr. Zinkus. Due to Covid-19 safety practices, I was not able to talk face to face with Dr. Z. But we did speak over the phone and we covered a few things about Bordetella, known as kennel cough, and Covid-19.

Bordetella is a bacteria that that causes a highly contagious respiratory illness, similar to bronchitis, in dogs. Since it can spread so easily in confined spaces, such as boarding facilities, it has become commonly referred to as kennel cough. Though it can be transmitted anywhere that dogs come into contact with one another. There is a vaccine available, but the efficacy of the vaccine is not perfect, since there are actually numerous bacterias that can cause kennel cough. It is also reassuring to know that most cases of kennel cough are easily treated.

We also delved into coronaviruses. Simply put, our pets are extremely unlikely to be affected by Covid-19, though felines tend to be more susceptible to the disease. To date, there is no evidence that the disease has been transmitted to a human from a companion animal. If you, as a pet owner, find yourself infected by this coronavirus, it is recommended that you limit your contact with your pets to prevent spreading the disease. It seems like common sense but still must be said, please do not use any type of disinfectant on your pet. Always consult your veterinarian first if you have any concerns or believe your pet is ill.

Here are a few links to information:

CDC guidelines about Covid-19 and “If You Have Pets”

OiE World Organization for Animal Health Q&A on Covid-19

CDC FAQ for Covid-19 and Animals

Today’s episode is with Katherine and Robin @robinventures and their southern California adventures that include everything from extraordinary to everyday exceptional.

Robin is a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix that Robin rescued from a kill shelter in Los Angeles as a young dog a little more than five years ago. Unfortunately, it took a few years for Robin to completely warm up to his dogdad Addison. But it didn’t take long at all for the adventures to begin. In the first couple months, Robin was going on easy hikes and trips with his new family. Within a year, Robin was getting into some serious adventures with Katherine and Addison in the San Gabriel Mountains along with friends.

Just a half hour away from their Los Angeles home are the San Gabriel Mountains, a national monument and part of the Angeles National Forest. An hour and a half drive to the east are the San Gorgonio Mountains, located in San Bernardino National Forest. For comparison, Katherine states that the San Gorgonio Mountains see less traffic and more serious hikers and backpackers due to being further away from the city and generally requiring more permits for day use. The San Gorgonio Mountains are also more rugged and scenic, in her opinion. For those more serious about hiking and backpacking, the Sierra Nevada Mountains begin about three hours north of LA.

A few specific spots they have been to in the last year include Dry Lake near San Gorgonio Mountain. For that trip, Addison packed in an inflatable raft! Leading up to a big backpacking trip to Mammoth Lake area, Katherine hiked Mt. Lukens and San Gorgonio Mountain. On their final conditioning trip to San Gorgonio, they dealt with altitude as well as getting caught by a surprise thunderstorm. At Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra Nevadas, Katherine and Robin hiked to Minaret Lake and Ediza Lake.

According to Katherine, Robin is actually quite a “lazy” dog whenever they are not on a big adventure, and she’s careful to pay attention to his fatigue level. Fortunately, during the ongoing pandemic and stay at home orders that have everyone on lockdown, Robin is just as comfortable hanging out around the house and getting his exercise in the yard. Hopefully, once the restrictions are lifted, they plan to head back to the Mammoth Lakes area to do some more adventuring.

With all their experience, Katherine and Addison have used and reviewed lots of different gear. To check out their carefully curated gear list and read more about their adventures, check out their blog at Robinventures.wordpress.blog.

Katherine’s shout outs go to her backpacking friends Elizabeth and Sparky & Dawn @muttsbelove, Kayla and Bo, Sadie, & Nash @misterbo619, and @jennyinthewild, her friend and dog gear color advisor Jen and Tybee @tybeetotherescue, and small businesses like Rachel @whyld_river, @muttruk, and of course @groundbird_gear.

Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is with Amy @gopetfriendly, who along with her husband Rod, has spent the last ten years inspiring others to travel with their dogs, and learning how to adventure at home with dogs wherever their home may be.

Back in 2008, Amy and Rod had already been traveling with their Shar Pei pup Ty, when they rescued a big German Shepherd. Buster, who quickly became a part of the family, made traveling difficult because of his size and breed. After a three week long trip that required a lot of difficult planning, Amy and Rod decided to launch a website to make travel planning for pet owners much more simple. The website GoPetFriendly.com started in 2009. Beyond just basic planning, the site offered information on as many dog and pet friendly restaurants, museums, attractions, and other businesses as they could find.

In the beginning, much of the information in the database was gathered manually. In 2010, Amy and Rod decided to pull up roots in Philadelphia, buy an RV, and prove how easy it could be to go on the road with pets. Their “paws on the ground” research led them to writing articles, starting a blog, and growing the website. Originally their plan was to settle back down, but as the years passed, Amy and Rod realized that they were accustomed to living their lives on the road. They adapted their businesses and focused their activities around being happy with Ty and Buster. The one “big” adventure Amy was proudest of, was their year long journey around the lower 48 states and D.C. in 2017. The trip culminated in the publishing of The Ultimate Pet Friendly Road Trip, which covers their trip to the top pet friendly attractions in each state.

Though both Ty and Buster have passed on, they lived amazingly happy lives. Everyday was full of exciting experiences and new adventures. Their legacy continues to live on through the Go Pet Friendly website and collection of amazing photos and memories in their Instagram account. More than just a following, Amy and Rod have worked to build a community. As they celebrate ten years of living a life of adventure, they are continuing to grow their brand and look forward to what the future holds.

Thanks for listening!

For at home dog activities during the quarantine, I recommend trying the #train20challenge or other daily training programs.

For more information on scent work, check out the American Kennel Club’s site and find their recommended list of scent work kit supplies here.

Today’s episode is with Julie, the dogmom to Tucker and Leo @tuckerleo_da_huskies, a husky and husky mix from Denver with a penchant for pulling!

Julie was living in Chicago at the time she first got Tucker, and was already getting him out and being active when she met Leo. Along with some instagram friends, they met up at Starving Rock State Park to see some mushing sports with Windy City Mushers, and Leo was part of one of the teams. Immediately, Julie found out that Leo was available for adoption and the rest is history! A few other places around Chicago that they enjoyed going to were Montrose Dog Beach in uptown on Lake Michigan, and some of the many forest preserves throughout the city.

Not long after Julie made the move to Denver, she quickly found to her surprise, that there was little to no mushing sports community in the metro area. She formed the Mile High Mushers group as a way to get people in the Denver dog community together for dry land mushing. Her goal for the future is to organize some racing events in the local area. Some of the other places around Denver that she enjoys taking Tucker and Leo to are the Cherry Creek State Park off leash area, and Washington Park in her neighborhood.

But beyond just traveling around for some beautiful adventures, which they do often, Julie has been taking her pups up to Leadville, Colorado to take part in some “serious” dog sled racing! The Colorado Mountain Mushers host a number of mushing events in and around the Leadville area, including the Mount Massive Mush I and Mount Massive Mush II races. These races take place at more than 10,000 feet or 3000 meters above sea level, on the groomed snow at Mt. Massive Golf Course, the highest golf course in the U.S.!

For her mushing gear, Julie uses either an x-back or canicross style harness from Howling Dog Alaska. To highlight the inexpensive accessibility of the sport, she found her bike for bikejoring on craigslist.com. Her sled she was able to find through a facebook group, Musher’s Exchange. And often, the larger mushing groups and meet-ups will have extra gear for new dogs to try out, which is important for bringing new people and dogs into the mushing community.

Her shoutouts go to her boyfriend Jake (the number one dogdad), Meghan and Jäger & Porter @drunkonhuskies who got Julie into mushing, all of her insta dog friends in Colorado, and of course all of her husky friends!

A great source for used dog adventure gear is GearTrade.com.

And a terrific source for possible toxic chemicals in dog toys, bedding, and other supplies can be found in the Archived Pet Supply Data provided by the Ecology Center at ecocenter.org.

Thanks for listening!!

Today’s episode is with Kristie, the dogmom to Harper Lee @harperleethecur, a catahoula leopard dog living among the lowlands and wetlands in the motherland of central Louisiana. Historically, the Catahoula leopard dog is the only species of dog know to have originated in Louisiana.

Most of their time is spent walking and exploring the community of Lafayette. Kristie, as a photographer finds inspiration in the unique backgrounds in and around town, often with degraded old buildings, street art, and plenty of intrinsically southern scenes. Going beyond digital, Kristie shoots quite a bit with film and even uses both medium format and a large format camera for some of her photography and Harper just happens to be a terrific subject. She even develops her own film at home and, most likely, Harper joins her in the darkroom.

When they have time to hike, especially on the weekends, they love to go to several spots close by. One is Acadiana Park and Nature Station on the north side of Lafayette. In the 143 acre park, there are six miles of trail for hiking. Just a few miles to the east is Lake Martin, surrounded by bayous, canals, and Cypress Island Preserve. The preserve is 95,000 of swamp and hardwood forest with levee trails and a boardwalk. Of course some of the things to look out for in these areas is alligators and snakes, as well as being aware of the hunting seasons.

About an hour to the north is Kisatchie National Forest which has five ranger districts. The two spots they visit the most are the Kisatchie Ranger District and the Calcasieu Ranger District near Alexandria. Just outside the national forest is Indian Creek Recreation Area which offers an astounding 100 acres of developed recreation facilities, 250 acres of primitive camping, and 100 campsites along the 2,250 acre Indian Creek Lake! Close by are several trails including Kincaid Lake Trail which is a nine mile loop around Kincaid Reservoir. The Wild Azalea Trail is a 26 mile trail through Kisatchie National Forest. In the episode, we also talk a little about Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge and Catahoula Lake.

Her shout outs go to Kevin & Nola @catahoudat, Nessie McNubbins, Frankie Lou & Ali @nessie_mcnubs, Gentle Ben @thetenderestbenjamin, Coop and Monte @mycoopdawg, and Eric @louisianahikes.

Thanks for listening!

In the intro to the episode, I talked about several things including flushable PVC dog waste bags. Here are a few links to the research that I did.

USDA “Composting Dog Waste.” Natural Resources Conservation Service. nrcs.usda.gov, December 2005

University of Minnesota. “Nitrogen, phosphorus from fertilizers and pet waste polluting urban water.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 April 2017

“It’s Time to Talk About Dog Poop; Pet waste has become a major pollutant, both outdoors and at home.” Outside Magazine. outsideonline.com, 27 March 2018

“Implementation Plan for the Fecal Coliform TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load)
for Four Mile Run, Virginia.” Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. deq.virginia.gov, 31 March 2004

“Phosphorous removal from wastewater.” Lenntech USA LLC. lenntech.com

“Polyvinyl alcohol.” Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, 21February 2020

Today’s episode is with Stephen, the dog dad to King and Sam @kingandsamexplore, two extremely active german shepherds in California that absolutely love to run, ride, hike and explore.

Stephen, who is an apprentice California wildland firefighter, spends a lot of his time being active and getting out with his pups in his time off. One of their favorite activities is cruising the Fresno-Clovis Rail Trail, which runs the entire length, north to south, of their hometown in Clovis. Nearby is Woodward Park, with a dog park and network of trails. Sam is young and speedy and loves to run alongside Stephen on the bike, while he pulls King in a trailer. Occasionally King still puts in a couple miles of running, but at 11 years old, his endurance is not quite what it used to be. But Sam certainly helps keep King feeling young!

When it comes to running, Stephen and Sam have competed in a couple of dog friendly 5ks including the UHC Summer 5k Hot Run in Fresno, and the Rad Dogs Mud Run Obstacle 5k in San Diego. Next up on their race schedule is the Ruff Run 2020 in Phelan, California in April. On their bucket list, Stephen wants to compete with Sam in the U.S. Canine Biathlon, a four mile obstacle course race in Anniston, Alabama that takes place twice a year in May and November.

For other adventures, just a short drive from home are a few favorite spots including Bass Lake on the edge of Sierra National Forest, and Yosemite National Park just to the north. Even more than the forest, they absolutely love visiting the beach. One of their favorites is Huntington Dog Beach near Los Angeles. Another to the south is Fiesta Island in San Diego. During their big cross country trip in 2019, Stephen and a friend drove with King, Sam and Bailey to the east coast and worked their way down to the Florida Keys. Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks in North Carolina and the southern most point in the U.S.

During the episode, Stephen and I talked a bit about sustainability and how his job as a wildland firefighter gives him an appreciation for being in the outdoors as well as natural resource conservation. One of the things that Stephen has done is learn to sew in order to mend his own equipment and even create useful gear for dogs. He started @tacticoolk9 to promote his dog adventure products like reflective wristbands, and bandanas that can be customized with patches and lighting for visibility. Another product he uses is the Ray Allen Buddy Bowl for a spill proof travel bowl.

His shout outs go to family and friends including his cousin Aidan, the Lechuga girls, Christine, Caitie, Gabe & family for watching King that one summer, Storm for joining in the Mud Run, and Ace & Charlie. Then of course for the road trip, Jess and her boy Bailey, who has since passed.

Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is with Julie and her sweet girl Ginny @ginnythehound, a bluetick coonhound who, even as an adult dog, is constantly learning new skills and becoming more adventurous. Currently, Julie and Ginny are working towards completing their NH48.

During the week Julie works as an obedience trainer near her home in Massachusetts and generally bring Ginny along, who is crate trained. When they are not able to get out for a daily walk, Julie is able to exercise Ginny at work on a treadmill. For her mental exercise, Ginny is constantly working on new commands. Recently, Ginny was able to show off her excellent obedience while being on stage and back stage during the Boston Ballet’s production of Gisselle.

When they are able to get outside and adventure, some of their favorite local spots include Hopedale Pond and Parklands, with a trail around the entire pond. Also close by is Borderlands State Park, with a historic mansion on the grounds and more than 20 miles (32k) of hiking and biking trails. Further from home, and when they have the time, Julie and Ginny have been making the drive over to New Hampshire to hike the trails and summit peaks in the White Mountains. Currently, they have bagged seven of the 48 4000+ foot (1200m) peaks on the NH48 list. They have plans to start knocking off many of the peaks this summer with a goal of completion by the end of the year. Julie’s interest in hiking mountains started when they summited Mt. Moosilauke last year. Also last year, they had a chance to visit Acadia National Park, where they stayed in a dog friendly cottage and even had a sunrise hike at Cadillac Mountain. Also in Maine, they’ve visited Rangeley Lake State Park, and love the beach at Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Julie loves her biothane long line.For winter hiking, Ginny wears a Hurtta Extreme Warmer and Rexspecs goggles. And in case of emergencies, Julie keeps a Pack-A-Paw rescue harness from Mountain Dogware.

Julie gives a shout out to Roka @rokatheflyingaussie and Fern @fern_e_dog and their dogmom @pintsizedadventures_.

Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is with Jen, the dogmom to Tybee @tybeetotherescue, a super mutt heeler mix from Pennsylvania with some super adventures.

Jen adopted Tybee from a local rescue group Wags Rescue @wagsrescuepa, but originally Tybee was transported from Georgia after being abandoned during a hurricane along with the rest of her litter. Even though they have been together since she was a young pup, Tybee still has a couple of behavior and personality traits, as well as anxiety that Jen works on with training. Jen is very honest and open about the process through her instagram account.

Part of their training has included getting out and adventuring, on both local trails, and farther from home on a couple of road trips. Their first hike was a relatively easy one at Jacobsburg State Park, along a paved path. Jen found Muddy Pawz hiking club on meetup.com and was able to join group hikes. With more experience they began to branch out to bigger hikes like Trexler Nature Preserve with a nine mile (14.5km) trail around the park, and a network of smaller trails. Another local spot is a small mountain near Allentown, with a network of rocky trails, typical of Pennsylvania. And speaking of rocks, Bake Oven Knob is a trail they’ve done some rock scrambling on, which is a popular spot on the Appalachian Trail.

Further from home, they’ve visited Acadia National Park and hike trails in and out of the park. A couple favorites include Jordan Pond on Mt. Desert Island and Little Long Pond. For some awesome paddle boarding and lake swimming, they stayed at a lake house at Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes of New York. Another road trip recently included driving on Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park as well as a number of hikes in the area.Recently, Tybee has shown some car anxiety issues, so they are currently working to train and overcome this. Fortunately, Jen reports that she has been having progress, and they look forward to doing some more road trip adventures soon!

One of the products they use, other than an e-collar, has been extremely helpful with Tybee’s training. Jen recommends the Transitional Leash from @k9lifeline. A few items of gear that she really loves are the Hurtta Extreme Warmer, @voyagersk9apparel Tummy Warmer, @threadzntails Fleece Cozies, Liebesband collars and leashes, @groundbird_gear harness and pack, and @whyld_river Doggy Bag.

Her shout outs go to her and Tybee’s adventure friends Gina and Maverick @mylifewithmav, fellow gear nerd Kat and Robin @robinventures, Opportunity Barks training @opbarks, Angela and her pack, including Tybee’s first bf Decker @herdingblake, and @sagenzara_duet.

Thanks for listening!

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Today’s episode is with Mallory and Will, the dogparents to the elegant and rambunctious AnnieMae @anniemae_theirishsetter who adventures in Arkansas!

Mallory and Will are both from Conway, which is in north central Arkansas and surrounded by natural rural areas, state parks, national forests, as well as a national park just a couple hours away. Because of Will’s busy work schedule, Mallory tends to take AnnieMae to places nearby on a daily basis, which includes her farm. Beaver Fork Lake is another one of her favorite spots and one of the first locations they started taking AnnieMae to when she was a puppy, just north of where they live.

Within a short drive from Conway is an extensive list of state parks. Woolly Hollow State Park, with the Huckleberry Trail and a small waterfall. Petit Jean State Park has miles of trails as well as a great view from the Petit Jean gravesite, overlooking the Arkansas River valley. Mallory’s favorite though is Mt. Nebo State Park, where she led her first hike as a @hikingdogsofinsta hike leader. She recommends the Bench Trail with a Sunrise Point and a Sunset Point. In her opinion, the view is even better than Petit Jean State Park.

Further from home, Mallory and Will have been to Devil’s Den State Park where they were able to meet up with a number of other Instagram pups. The hike to Yellow Rock Overlook was led by hike leader River @thehikingsetter, who just so happens to be Annie Mae’s sister! In Ozark National Forest, they’ve been to Long Pool Recreation Area and Long Pool Falls. Some of the locations that Mallory has on her list of places to visit soon are Buffalo National River in Ponca, Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs and close to Ouachita National Forest. Some nearby waterfalls Mallory wants to check out are in and around Blanchard Springs Recreation Area, near Mountain View. The area includes the Sylamore Creek Trail,  Mirror Lake Waterfall, Blanchard Springs Caverns and waterfall.

A couple of the products they use and recommend are Rope Hounds leashes, for which they are an ambassador. The other is their MuttRuk @muttruk and is the first backpack designed for hiking with dogs.

Their shout outs go to Annie Mae’s sister River @thehikingsetter,  Zuki @naturalstatehusky, Karma and Ragnar @pittypartyoftwo_, Trooper, Delta and Zeus @the_byrum_trio, and Nala and Murphy @the.natural.danes.

Thanks for listening!