Life: Puppies!

Just in case you were waiting for word on our progress towards getting a Black Russian Terrier pup, wait no more! The litter was born March 19th.

We'll be getting a female pup from a breeder in Sweden hopefully the middle of May.

You can see puppy pictures on Aerin's blog. We won't know which of the girls will be ours for a few more weeks.

Our parents will have to be content with the "granddog" instead of a grandchild.

Gear: Dog Stuff

Yes, I do love my gear. Great gear just helps make an outdoor trip great whatever happens. I've experienced every kind of environmental condition during my outdoor adventures, but I always had fun no matter the conditions. Now Aerin and I have a lot of fun outdoors, and soon we'll have a four-legged family member along on our continuing adventures. Time to look at dog gear!

After a few hits and misses we're going to have a closer look at some gear at a local pet shop called Tail Blazers. The dog gear company is called RuffWear, and I must say that I'm very impressed with the thought they've put into their designs. Because Ursa will take a couple years to fully mature physically, we won't be doing any serious backpacking for a while, but we do have need or use for some items soon.

Ursa isn't a small dog. Aerin and I don't want her hauling the rain into the tent, so we'll get her a rain jacket. This will save us having to towel her off completely, and should help keep her a little cleaner on muddy trails.

For backcountry trips Ursa will need a backpack. The detachable saddlebags are great for giving her a break to cool off in a creek or when we reach the campground. It includes water reservoirs and lots of space for food and her bed.

We'd like to use a harness for walks closer to home and short hikes. Ursa is going to grow into a large, powerful dog, and both Aerin and I agree the harness is a better way to go.

Ursa having an injured paw in the backcountry (or any injury for that matter) is something I'd rather not have to worry about, so she'll have her own set of hiking boots. These make good sense for keeping her paws and pads in good condition with improved grip oven the varied and uneven terrain we'll travel through.

We do plan to buy a larger backcountry tent for the three of us in a couple years. Fortunately, Ursa is a working dog, and will love helping out with the load. In the mean time we will get a larger tent for car camping. Can I interest anyone in a solid little three person tent for car camping?

There is a lot of other gear to choose from too. No doubt we'll end up with a gear duffle just for Ursa. It would only be fair since her owners already have a head start.

Life: A Dog's Life

So Aerin and I talking seriously about getting a dog - financials, care, training, breed, grooming, feeding, etc. The breed we have zeroed in on is the Black Russian Terrier. This is not a small breed by any measure. They are a cross between Rotteweilers, Giant Schnauzer, Airedales and Newfoundlands. After much reading about Blackies, we've been very impressed with their list of attributes: intelligence, sociable, great strength and endurance, even temperment, protective, and loyal.

We wanted a dog that could do a number of things. One of the first things was a dog that we could take backcountry without worrying her (yes, we want a female puppy) taking off after every little movement. A Blackie is also big and strong enough that we can put a dog pack on her to carry her own food and bed. The sociable aspect is important since we don't want to just leave her in a boarding kennel, so her ability to be around people is a definite plus. Her endurance is also great as a working breed, so I can take her running for exercise too. There's lots of things we want to do in terms of training, so her intelligence is a great plus.

Last Sunday evening we talked to a breeder over the phone, and she was kind enough to hook us up with someone in Calgary with one of her dogs. So on Sunday morning we get to meet a Blackie for the first time since neither of us has seen one in the flesh before.

And just for fun, who doesn't love video of cute puppies?