The state of the world over the past few years has coaxed more and more people into doing outdoor activities. The fresh air of a trail is a safe place where both humans and dogs can exercise and find some inner peace amongst nature\u2019s beauty. We found three cool people who make a living having adventures with their four-legged friends.<\/p>\n
THE BLOGGER: Jen Sotolongo<\/h3>\n
Owner of the blog Long Haul Trekkers<\/em>: Outdoor Adventures with Dogs, Jen Sotolongo\u2019s focus is to share how-to’s for getting outdoors with your dog, adventure trips and training advice. She is also the author of the recently published book The Essential Guide to Hiking with Dogs: Trail-Tested Tips and Expert Advice for Canine Adventures.<\/p>\n Around eight years ago, Jen and her partner at the time quit their jobs and took their dog, Sora, an Australian Shepherd, on a two-year bicycle trip across Europe and South America. The adventure was documented as a travel log online. Brands started to pay attention, and Jen realized that she could make a career out of her writing.<\/p>\n Today Jen lives in Oregon with her Red Heeler mix, Sitka, who joins her on the trails. About Sitka, Jen explains, \u201cYou know he\u2019s built for endurance. Especially when we go run off leash, which is my goal as much as possible, he just has a blast sniffing all the things.\u201d<\/p>\n A couple years ago Falcon, the world\u2019s leading publisher of outdoor recreation content, approached Jen and asked if she would like to do a guide book about hiking with dogs. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to promote safe interactions for dogs and their humans on the trails. \u201cMy goal with the book was to educate people about what is preferred behavior, while also providing them with information,\u201d she says. \u201cThe book goes from even before you get your dog to finally getting onto the trail with your dog.\u201d<\/p>\n Jen\u2019s No. 1 safety tip is to not assume it\u2019s OK for your dog to approach other dogs on the trail, even if they are both off leash. She suggests getting your dog professionally trained. \u201cThat was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made for my dog,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Get more tips from Jen at longhaultrekkers.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Just over six years ago, Amity Noble took her love of dog walking to the next level and started the company Dogs Go Hiking<\/em>, which serves parts of Massachusetts. She had started walking dogs as a part-time job in college. A few years later she started taking the family dog, a half Lab and half Border Collie mix named Bandit, on hikes to wear him out. She discovered that getting his energy out on the trails made him a better-behaved dog. One day Amity thought to bring other dogs along to help Bandit with socialization. About nine months later she was hiring employees due to the amount of business she was getting. Dogs Go Hiking was official!<\/p>\n Amity\u2019s hikers check an app in the morning to see what their day will be like and which lucky pups will be with them. The morning is spent on a two-hour hike and then a midday break before heading out for the afternoon 45-minute adventure. The group hikes are fairly structured and, although Amity points out that her crew are not dog trainers, trail manners are reinforced. Sit and stay commands are key and happen often to let bikers and other hikers pass safely on the populated trails the dogs visit.<\/p>\n Amity knows her dog clients are having fun. \u201cI think they love seeing their buddies,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey know when we pull up to their little doggie friends\u2019 houses or when we pull up to certain parks that they know have a pond in it and they get to swim. They hear the car or they see the walker coming up, and they just know what they’re in for.\u201d<\/p>\n If you’re looking for a similar service in your area, Amity says to do your homework. Dog hikers should know the area, dog behavior and dog first aid. Most importantly, verify that the company has appropriate insurance.<\/p>\n Learn more at dogsgohiking.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n John Fayhee has written multiple books and newspaper articles, and has been a longtime contributor to Backpacker magazine. His latest, and not yet published, book, A Long Tangent<\/em>: An old man and his young dog hike every day for a solid year, documents time on the trail with his dog, Casey.<\/p>\n Casey wasn\u2019t John\u2019s first four-legged partner. In the ’90s Fayhee adopted a dog from the local shelter in Colorado named Callie. After about six months, the Australian\/German Shepherd mix joined him on a two-month hike on the Divide Trail. The trip marked the start of the duo\u2019s adventures. \u201cI can\u2019t even count the number of thousands of miles we hiked together,\u201d John says.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long after Callie passed away at the age of 13 that John adopted Casey, a Lab mix. She was with her dad for most of the 367 straight days that are documented in his book. He isn\u2019t sure if the book will find a home with a publisher but says that\u2019s OK. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard to find the proper place in a book store to put it. It\u2019s part memoir and part fist shaking. It was a book I wanted to write.\u201d<\/p>\n John explains: \u201cMy dog is my best buddy.\u201d Casey is trail trained and is in an area where she can be off leash. Her human partner has to pay attention to where she is and what she is doing. Having a dog along helps ground<\/p>\n John. \u201cI really go mentally inward when I hike because I\u2019m thinking about what I\u2019m writing,\u201d he explains. \u201cI don\u2019t pay much attention to the natural world that I\u2019m hiking through, and the dog makes me keep at least one foot in reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Leslie Doucette is the owner of Chattapoochie Dog Hiking Adventures<\/em><\/a>, which leads dogpack hiking adventures in the Atlanta area. She shares some of her top trail tips for safe and fun adventures.<\/p>\n The post Take a Hiking Adventure Like a Pro<\/a> by Wendy Newell<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Take a Hiking Adventure Like a Pro<\/a> by Wendy Newell<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n The state of the world over the past few years has coaxed more and more people into doing outdoor activities. The fresh air of a trail is a safe place where both humans and dogs can exercise and find some inner peace amongst nature\u2019s beauty. We found three cool people who make a living having adventures with their four-legged friends.<\/p>\n Owner of the blog Long Haul Trekkers<\/em>: Outdoor Adventures with Dogs, Jen Sotolongo\u2019s focus is to share how-to’s for getting outdoors with your dog, adventure trips and training advice. She is also the author of the recently published book The Essential Guide to Hiking with Dogs: Trail-Tested Tips and Expert Advice for Canine Adventures.<\/p>\n Around eight years ago, Jen and her partner at the time quit their jobs and took their dog, Sora, an Australian Shepherd, on a two-year bicycle trip across Europe and South America. The adventure was documented as a travel log online. Brands started to pay attention, and Jen realized that she could make a career out of her writing.<\/p>\n Today Jen lives in Oregon with her Red Heeler mix, Sitka, who joins her on the trails. About Sitka, Jen explains, \u201cYou know he\u2019s built for endurance. Especially when we go run off leash, which is my goal as much as possible, he just has a blast sniffing all the things.\u201d<\/p>\n A couple years ago Falcon, the world\u2019s leading publisher of outdoor recreation content, approached Jen and asked if she would like to do a guide book about hiking with dogs. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to promote safe interactions for dogs and their humans on the trails. \u201cMy goal with the book was to educate people about what is preferred behavior, while also providing them with information,\u201d she says. \u201cThe book goes from even before you get your dog to finally getting onto the trail with your dog.\u201d<\/p>\n Jen\u2019s No. 1 safety tip is to not assume it\u2019s OK for your dog to approach other dogs on the trail, even if they are both off leash. She suggests getting your dog professionally trained. \u201cThat was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made for my dog,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Get more tips from Jen at longhaultrekkers.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Just over six years ago, Amity Noble took her love of dog walking to the next level and started the company Dogs Go Hiking<\/em>, which serves parts of Massachusetts. She had started walking dogs as a part-time job in college. A few years later she started taking the family dog, a half Lab and half Border Collie mix named Bandit, on hikes to wear him out. She discovered that getting his energy out on the trails made him a better-behaved dog. One day Amity thought to bring other dogs along to help Bandit with socialization. About nine months later she was hiring employees due to the amount of business she was getting. Dogs Go Hiking was official!<\/p>\n Amity\u2019s hikers check an app in the morning to see what their day will be like and which lucky pups will be with them. The morning is spent on a two-hour hike and then a midday break before heading out for the afternoon 45-minute adventure. The group hikes are fairly structured and, although Amity points out that her crew are not dog trainers, trail manners are reinforced. Sit and stay commands are key and happen often to let bikers and other hikers pass safely on the populated trails the dogs visit.<\/p>\n Amity knows her dog clients are having fun. \u201cI think they love seeing their buddies,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey know when we pull up to their little doggie friends\u2019 houses or when we pull up to certain parks that they know have a pond in it and they get to swim. They hear the car or they see the walker coming up, and they just know what they’re in for.\u201d<\/p>\n If you’re looking for a similar service in your area, Amity says to do your homework. Dog hikers should know the area, dog behavior and dog first aid. Most importantly, verify that the company has appropriate insurance.<\/p>\n Learn more at dogsgohiking.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n John Fayhee has written multiple books and newspaper articles, and has been a longtime contributor to Backpacker magazine. His latest, and not yet published, book, A Long Tangent<\/em>: An old man and his young dog hike every day for a solid year, documents time on the trail with his dog, Casey.<\/p>\n Casey wasn\u2019t John\u2019s first four-legged partner. In the ’90s Fayhee adopted a dog from the local shelter in Colorado named Callie. After about six months, the Australian\/German Shepherd mix joined him on a two-month hike on the Divide Trail. The trip marked the start of the duo\u2019s adventures. \u201cI can\u2019t even count the number of thousands of miles we hiked together,\u201d John says.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long after Callie passed away at the age of 13 that John adopted Casey, a Lab mix. She was with her dad for most of the 367 straight days that are documented in his book. He isn\u2019t sure if the book will find a home with a publisher but says that\u2019s OK. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard to find the proper place in a book store to put it. It\u2019s part memoir and part fist shaking. It was a book I wanted to write.\u201d<\/p>\n John explains: \u201cMy dog is my best buddy.\u201d Casey is trail trained and is in an area where she can be off leash. Her human partner has to pay attention to where she is and what she is doing. Having a dog along helps ground<\/p>\n John. \u201cI really go mentally inward when I hike because I\u2019m thinking about what I\u2019m writing,\u201d he explains. \u201cI don\u2019t pay much attention to the natural world that I\u2019m hiking through, and the dog makes me keep at least one foot in reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Leslie Doucette is the owner of Chattapoochie Dog Hiking Adventures<\/em><\/a>, which leads dogpack hiking adventures in the Atlanta area. She shares some of her top trail tips for safe and fun adventures.<\/p>\n The post Take a Hiking Adventure Like a Pro<\/a> by Wendy Newell<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTHE DOG HIKING CEO: Amity Noble<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s36700.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AmityAtWork-478x600.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s36700.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AmityDogs1-600x389.jpg.optimal.jpg\")
THE TRAIL WRITER: John Fayhee<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s36700.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John_jc_granite_2048_1-600x339.jpg.optimal.jpg\")
Hiking Tips<\/h3>\n
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THE BLOGGER: Jen Sotolongo<\/h3>\n
THE DOG HIKING CEO: Amity Noble<\/h3>\n
THE TRAIL WRITER: John Fayhee<\/h3>\n
Hiking Tips<\/h3>\n
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