HikeArizona.COM

I am not totally in agreement with this list. It only mentions medium to large dogs. There seems to be a misunderstanding about small dogs not being able or capable of hiking. Both of my little guy's, Joseph and Rudy were and are strong hikers. Joseph did two 14er's with me at age 13. I have been asked more than once, " did you carry him up here?"

https://travelnoire.com/best-hiking-dog ... pic%2Fdogs

I don’t know if I agree with Bernese Mtn Dogs being on the list, but the rest is pretty spot on.

I'll take a 100% west asian village dog over any of those.

I guess I'll lean toward the cattle dog, partial to the red.

@chumley
It seems to be a very unique breed..
"medium-sized dogs with pointy snouts that freely breed and live near people around the world"

Alston_Neal wrote:It seems to be a very unique breed..

I don't think they're very common in this part of the world. I've only ever met one that I know of, but I'll challenge you to identify one with more trail miles underfoot.
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@chumley
I know of which dogs you speak of. I was being sarcastic because after googling this was the definition of West Asian Village Dog.

Soon as I'm healthy, financially secure and retired from work and family reponsibilities gonna get me an ACD and we'll hike thousands of miles together every year. That'll be sometime around 2058.

@chumley
Aren't you forgetting one?
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@toddak
Heelers are awesome, but make sure to set aside about $15k to cover all the stupid s%!t they do, because they are basically daredevil crackheads straight out of the trailer park. I’ve learned this the hard way.

The_Eagle wrote:Aren't you forgetting one?

Agreed! She was one of the strong small hiking/adventure dogs.

LindaAnn wrote: straight out of the trailer park.

I do believe Bubbles also raised a litter or two.

@LindaAnn
I loved my heeler, Bubba Blue, but he wanted to herd anything that moved, including people, which meant he was biting them in the back of the leg. He was also pretty neurotic because he was supposed to have been a working dog, not a pet.

I will never have another dog. I am so tired of my friends' excuses: "Oh, I can't go because I don't have anyone to watch my dog." Or: "Oh, I can't bring my dog on that trail, because dogs aren't allowed, can we do a different trail?"

Plus, becoming an empty nester was something of a huge celebration for me! I managed to get through raising three kids! Why on Earth would I want to take care of a dog? I have zero interest in mothering. Just zero. I have two plants, and that's more than enough.

@azbackpackr
Harlow is fairly laid back for a heeler. She really only tries to herd if we’re crossing a street and she sees a car approaching. She’s well-behaved and good natured, doesn’t get into trouble, but has made it very clear she wants to be a solo dog. We tried fostering another heeler, but Harlow was not going to be having any of that going on in her house. She’s kind of a night owl—more active later in the day, wants to sleep all morning. Thinks it’s great to jump into the pool in the middle of the night, then jumps onto my bed, soaking wet, while I’m sleeping. She knows eight shapes, and will happily practice her flashcards with almost 100% accuracy if there are treats involved.

She managed to get parvo despite being fully vaccinated. That was fun. We were able to treat her at home since I didn’t mind giving her sub-q fluids for a week. Luckily Merck reimbursed me the full cost of her treatment (around $2500) since their vax didn’t work and I had all her records.

She is also the proud owner of a very shiny $5k crown on her largest molar. No clue how she broke the tooth, but she did a number on it.

She also cost me over $1k at the vet because she was coughing. Turns out she was faking it and copying the coughing of a video game character. Was suddenly cured once the character died.

Fearlessly chases coyotes and javelinas away from the backyard. Brings dead birds inside. Carries live chuckwallas around and tries to bring them inside. Squared up against two aggressive dobermans—she was fine, my knee was not, that was a long walk home while she was prancing with pride. Tried to eat a toad, and made herself ridiculously sick. Ate a Christmas ornament, but efficiently deposited it in the backyard a couple of days later.

Eventually, I’d like to get a Pointer, but I’m guessing that’ll be years away. After as many kids I’ve dealt with for the last twenty years, a dog feels very easy, so I don’t mind the work involved.

LindaAnn wrote: Turns out she was faking it and copying the coughing of a video game character. Was suddenly cured once the character died.

Wait, I need you to expand on this

@xsproutx
Normally, my son plays his video games in his bedroom, but over spring break, he was using the TV in the family room. One of the main characters had a cough that seemed to get worse as the game progressed. It was even annoying me after a few days.

Anyway, the dumb dog started coughing. And coughing. Since that canine respiratory virus seemed to be going around a few months ago, I took her to the vet. Given the fact she travels around a lot, I was worried she may have caught something. X-ray, bloodwork, etc, everything was good, so they said to keep an eye on her and bring her back in a few days if no improvement.

The next day, she was still coughing, but the video game character finally died. And then she stopped coughing almost immediately and has not coughed since. I guess I should have waited one more day before initially taking her to the vet.

Cute you tube video on pet owners taking the pets to the vet only to be told either its mental ( owner or pet or both) or to just wait it out. Best one I saw was when a dog was taken to the vet and it had eaten some pot and the vet laughed and said " your dog is high" with a picture that clearly demonstrated a spaced out pet. Next one was a new owner took the cat to the vet and said it was making a weird noise. The cat started purring and the owner said " that's the noise!"

I like having friends with dogs. Great to hang out and play with, and none of the poop clean up! Plus, because you're like the fun uncle, they're always super excited to see you.

LindaAnn wrote:the dumb dog started coughing

But Linda, some might consider this a marketable talent. Just tossing it out there, but acting dogs don't grow on trees - well, no dogs grow on trees, but anyway, she could be the next Lassie with skills like that.

@Mountain_Rat
Lassie she ain’t. If I were to fall while hiking with her, she’d find the steak I have in my pack, eat it, then find a new family to boss around.