I once co-owned a Russian Wolfhound. When hiking with this dog, people noticed. “What kind of dog is that?!” they’d exclaim as we rounded a mountain switchback. This dog looked flat when it lay on the ground. When hiking, he looked downright downtrodden. In retrospect, hiking may not have been his favorite pastime. Or, perhaps it was. Regardless, when we hiked, he came along.
I thought about these hiking days after I came across an article about the mountain climbers who were rescued recently on Mt. Hood. They had a dog to keep them warm. According to the article, some experts think it’s not the best idea to take a dog on hikes up mountains. Who these experts might be, or how many experts there are who feel this way, I have no idea.
There are loads of articles about the joys of hiking with dogs. One website offers a bundle of info. Hiking with Dogs tells about the best places to hike in the U.S. and Canada with your canine buddy. It looks like Canada may have more dog friendly options if you’re talking national parks, but if you like beaches for your dog outings, check out the site’s link to A Bark on the Beach, an e-book you can download.