I love the idea of having a 4 legged hiking companion.
I have 2 dogs, but neither one would make a good hiker.
One is 14 and having arthritis issues.
The other one, while physically fit, isn't the best around strange people or animals,
so not the easiest to work with.
I've been fostering for a rescue for a year now, and when I saw this girl, I knew.
Lucy is a Boston Terrier Mix.
I can't tell you what she's mixed with,
her mom was around 18 pounds with pointy ears and brindle fur.
Her dad was a full Boston.
She's 100% spoiled brat.
She has a thing for sleeping under blankets.
I'm guessing I'll have to come up with a sleeping bag for her
when we're ready for overnights.
Right now we're working on house breaking, basic commands
and leash manners.
She'll do anything for a treat.
She'll be completely up to date on all of her shots in 2 weeks.
For anyone hiking with dogs, it's a good idea to get all the shots-
including those for Lyme's disease and Leptospirosis
(Plus your Distemper, Parvo and Rabies)
before taking your dog out to public areas.
Make sure your dog has a decent flea and tick preventative.
I've always used Frontline Plus, but right now we have a free trial of Nexgard
(and I've heard from other hikers with dogs that it works great).
If you have a young dog like I do, or even an older dog who has never hiked before,
make sure you talk to your vet about how to go about getting started.
Young dogs should not go on any extreme hikes.
Lucy will most likely do a mile or less to start and on easy trails.
Puppies bodies are growing, and you don't want to strain any ligaments, tendons or cause problems with growing bones.
And with an older dog who might not be in shape, you want to start out small and build up their muscles and endurance-
the same as you would for yourself.
Lucy will be working on her training,
and most likely her napping.
For those on Instagram, Lucy has her own IG account
(my husband thinks I'm nuts)
Lucy The Boston Mix
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