Rio is one of the best dog hiking guides in New Mexico. He guides with me for Outspire Hiking,

The mountains of Santa Fe are full of wild flowers from daily afternoon thunderstorms.

Rio is the best backpacking dog and carries his pack without any whining. He carried all his food and then some of our gear on the recent trip to the Pecos. His Ruff Rider Granite Gear pack worked great and distributed the weight evenly.

Take your dog rafting. Its fun for them and keeps them cool. Rio likes to watch the ducks along the banks from his cooler perch. He prefers floating and lunch to whitewater, but he hangs on and smiles through the waves. Make sure your dog wears a CFD Canine Flotation Device or Dog Life Jacket.

After a lot of frustration trying to supply dog booties online, I would like to address this issue. Just like people, every dog breed and even individual dogs have paws of different size and volume. Some humans can just buy shoes online and some return them forever. Here is the thing. Check the volume from each manufacturer. For example, Granite Gear Dog Boots seem to fit the herding breeds better than the retrieving breeds. These booties have a LOW VOLUME- Narrow last and fit a narrow paw. A higher volume bootie is the Ruffwear Bark n Boots. This bootie seems to fit dogs with a wider higher volume paw. The best way to fit some dogs is to bring them to your local Independent Pet Store (most Box Store Retailers don’t have adequate knowledge or quality product) and have your dog try on booties. All of our brands at Wild Mountain Online have dealer locators, use that to find a qualified dealer. The last thing you want to do is ill fit your dog’s boots! They can’t tell you whats wrong. PLEASE we want to hear success stories about our products.  We Care!

Since I became a bike commuter, my addictive personality wants to be on bike everyday. Rio, the Singing Dog himself. would rather I take him out on the trails instead of leaving him at home while I ride to work. Since it becomes part of work, I quit riding on weekends for fun. This makes Rio howl in disapproval.

Abby’s Slumber Sack
At last a sleeping bag designed to keep your dog comfortable and cozy when you go camping!

Constructed from urethane coated tuff-duck on the outside to be water-resistant. The inside is an attractive doggie-print fleece. The Slumber Sack rolls up for easy transport, so your “Abby” can come with you on all your adventures. Manufactured by Equinox in the USA.
Size: Medium- 24″ x 36″, Large- 32″ x 46″.

I don’t think this will keep your some dogs from climbing into your sleeping bag, but its worth a try.

Here is to a special dog who turns 6 tomorrow. Rio has taught us never to give up and always have a smile on your face. And if a cat comes over Chase it!

Rio is just too sweet and happy to discipline about this cat problem. He will chase any cat anytime anywhere. I am actually afraid for my friend. He gets oblivious to the rest of the world. This new collar from Spiffy Dog fits him to a tee. (available soon)It reads:” I chase cats”

I noticed that someone googled this phrase “the best dog packs” and what I wanted to answer was: “the one that fits your dog best. ” Some of the best packs I have found are the Ruffwear Approach Pack- the fit is awesome. Based on their “Webmaster” harness, it ensures good structure, stability, and load dispersion while carrying the weight of the pack. Then there is the simple but effective version of the Ruff Rider dog pack that uses a support system across the dogs back and two straps to secure it. The Kelty Chuckwagon pack is well made and has a comfortable mesh harness built in to help stabilize the weight of the pack
Here are some of the best dog packs made. I am sure there are others out there but please for your dog’s sake and well being choose a well made name brand dog pack. After all you have to live up to this simple phrase: “Lord let me be the person my dog thinks I am”.

Check it all out at Wild Mountain Online.

The wind has begun in New Mexico bringing its pollen and dust to thicken the air. Everyone is out of sorts.   Rio has begun to stick his dog nose in the freshly dug prairie dog holes. I expect to see one attached to that nose sometime.

Dogs are our best companions in the wind. They don’t complain much.