Tags
No, the title of this blog post is not a typo. Read on . . .
My family and I love to hike. Well, I should clarify that statement. They love to hike and I love to hike myself up on a barstool and order a cold one. My husband and girls are more interested in scaling peaks like this monster:
“I believe I’ll sit this one out. I hear a glass of chardonnay yodeling my name.”
Or this one:
“Don’t worry, family. I’ll keep the search and rescue team on speed-dial.”
I think they are crazy.
Every now and then, I’ll begrudgingly agree to go on a hike as long as there is the promise of a picnic lunch in a pristine location at the end of the trail. Like this one:
Great spot for a picnic, eh?
One obstacle we face when we consider going on a hike is what to do with our dog William. He is a miniature dachshund and his idea of fun is hiking up to a bowl of dog treats. I don’t blame him. His legs are about 6 inches long and he has to take twenty steps to one of mine. He is what you would call indoorsy.
We found what we thought would be the perfect solution to our dilemma. It is a backpack called a Pooch Pouch made by a company called Outward Hound. Their tag line is “Raise the Woof.”
Okay, in truth we bought the backpack because we loved the name and the play on words amused.
William was less than amused.
William is what you would call, “not a happy camper.”
The Pooch Pouch is well-constructed, has zippered pockets, mesh sides, padded shoulder straps, etc. The idea of it seemed like William’s Ticket to Paradise (sorry Eddie Money).
However, the design is not dog-friendly. William considered it a form of torture. He couldn’t get comfortable and wanted his head out of the top, which meant he was strangulated for the 4-mile hike. Because there is no structure to the pouch part of the Pooch Pouch, it is the equivalent of cramming your dog into a well-ventilated gunnysack and throwing it on your back. The hike made William slightly seasick. Or should I say hike-sick.
I don’t think he has forgiven us.
“Look at the gray hair that hike gave me!”
Cute dog. I’m with William, hiking to the nearest sofa seems a better option, though a wander in the mountains does sound like a great way to spend the day.
Hey, Pete! Great to hear from you! I see you camped out a bit at this humble blog today. Hiking to the sofa is an excellent alternative to blisters, dusty hiking boots, and mosquito bites.
Hmmm. Time to turn the pouch into a planter.
Poor William. (Giggled at the gunnysack image…and then felt guilty…poor William. We went hiking last week (and found out the heights are more difficult than previously. Low key lake walks are sounding more and more attractive…along with hotel balconies with mountain views)
Molly got left at doggy resort at home…no way to leave her in the room during the wedding as she would have cheerfully eaten her way out and loped up the mountain to join us. We promised she could go mountain hiking another time when it’s cooler…she seemed happy, but said that the doggy camp pool was pretty nice, too. Always a tough choice with dogs.
How cute! I love to hike, but not crazy mountains that require safety harnesses and such. I like wooded trails that gracefully meander along a mountain or through a countryside. And a nice bar along the way is a bonus.
Maybe you and William should keep the seats warm for the others. I don’t mind hiking but I prefer to get the chairlift or cable car up and hike back down.
I am with you and William. I will watch from the sidelines, cheering in the appropriate places!
Oh, poor William! I hope you did a review of the Pooh Hooch, so they can work ofn the design a bit. It’s a great starting off point, though.
I’m with you on the mountain hikes. I’m too out of shape to do that kind of stuff. I’ll join you with that glass of wine and we’ll just take pictures of the mountains and throw kibbles to William who I am sure would be quite happy to stay back with us.
Thanks for the reminder . . . I forgot to leave them a review.
We shall have a grand time sipping wine while the others sweat and get blisters.
I’m sure we’ll have more laughs than them too.
You’re baaaaack. What a fun/funny post. I’m with your outward hound – don’t put me in a sack. I’ll sit on the bar stool with you (and I’m sure William would sit quietly on my lap) as we sip beers and say, ‘cheers’ to those happy fools climbing the mountain.
William and I would most certainly enjoy your company at the bar! He is a big fan of bar food. Well, any kind of food. I swear that dog is 100% motivated by food.
I love looking at mountains . . . but not the climbing part!
I’m the same way about the ocean. Get horribly seasick, but love sitting on the dock (or by the bar at the dock) and enjoying the view. 🙂
Where in the world were those beautiful mountains?
I like to hike too, but recent health issues keep me from it. 😦
Poor William. We do anything to take our pups along with us. Our dog is a herding dog. Hiking is just up his alley … er, his trail.
The top photo is of the Matterhorn and the second is the Grand Tetons. I snagged those off the Internet so my family didn’t actually scale those peaks, but I’m sure they are game to do so. I took the third photo. It is Eagle Lake which is a easy-ish hike from Lake Tahoe.
Yes, herding dogs are born to run, unlike dachshunds. They are born to lay around.
Poor William. But kudos to you for trying to bring him along. Gorgeous pictures.
He was miserable, which in turn, made me miserable. The Pooch Pouch is destined for the garbage can.
He may not be a hiker but he’s definitely an explorer–i.e. snooping through nasturtiums and tall dry grass on his visits to the ranch!
Where he was likely to be bitten by a rattle snake! I’ll never do that again. He is at rattle snake teeth height!
Good one…… But the way it reads it sounds like your family has climbed the matterhorn! We’ll let ‘em think that, see what they say! See you in a few hours! XXX
The Matterhorn and the Grand Tetons! You guys are studs. Happy Birthday!
Poor pooch. He’ll understand your hearts were in the right place when he gets o.l.d.e.r. 😀 😀 😀
The Pooch Pouch is on the floor of our garage. He gives the darn thing a wide berth when he comes into the house. He is miserable when he gets left behind and he is miserable when we drag him places. Go figure!