Backcountry K-9

Those of you that have been following along with my blog for the last few weeks will remember that I've written several times about our upcoming camping trip and the great gear that we've been testing to get the boys ready. What you probably don't know (because I was saving this great secret until now) is where we get all of our camping gear. A few months ago my husband found Backcountry K-9, an awesome online store that features a great variety of camping and outdoor gear for dogs (and humans, too). We have made many purchases from Backcountry K-9, and I cannot say enough good things about their terrific customer service and great products.

I don't really need any additional reasons to recommend Backcountry K-9, but they gave me one anyway. As you know, the Humane Society of Jackson County is one of my favorite rescue organizations. To help out HSJC, Backcountry K-9 has offered a special coupon code that will directly benefit HSJC. Here's how it works...

Check out the great products at www.BackcountryK9.com. When you go to check out, use the coupon code 5HSJC to save 5% off your order and Backcountry K-9 will donate an additional 5% of your order directly to HSJC! How sweet is that?! You get a discount on incredible products AND the HSJC will get a donation!

Oh, and one more great thing - Backcountry K-9 offers FREE shipping on every order over $75!

Pet-Friendly Travels...

My husband and I love to travel. The one thing we don't like when we travel is having to board our two chocolate labs while we're away. Brady & Cooper don't seem to mind (they see it as a vacation with their friends), and luckily, we have a great "doggie hotel" nearby called the Pets Inn Suites that we've used upon occasion. The added cost of almost $40 a day, however, doesn't help us stay within budget.

As an alternative to boarding the boys, I've recently started looking into various places that are "pet-friendly". Turns out there are a number of great websites that can help guide you in the right direction. For example, a town near and dear to me, Athens, Georgia, has a great website called "Athens Life Unleashed" that features a guide to "Pet-Friendly Athens." I guess this makes sense for Athens since it is, after all, home to the Georgia Bulldogs! Asheville, NC has a similar website that can be found here.

Do you know of any cities that offer similar guides and accommodations?

Pick Me!

I had a great time at the HSJC Adoption Event on Saturday. Not only did I get to play with many great dogs, I met a lot of wonderful people too. I took a pictures of a few of my favorites from the day. Please check out their photos and brief bios. If you're interest in adopting one of these sweethearts, please check out the HSJC website here or contact the HSJC at 706-367-1111.

Meet Delilah

Delilah is a gentle giant. She is an 8 1/2 year old pure bred German Shepherd who loves to play "hide & seek". She is well-behaved, loves kids and would make a great companion. For more information on Delilah, please click here.

Meet Sweetie

Sweetie is by far one of my favorites. I could hardly leave the event without taking her home myself. Sweetie is a 1 year old Lab mix who was found only a few days before she gave birth to a litter of puppies. The litter of puppies has been placed in good homes, and now Sweetie is looking for a home of her own. She is the most gentle, laid-back 1 year old I have ever met. She is perfectly content just sitting next to you, and she is very eager to please. For more information on Sweetie, please click here.

Meet Lylla

Lylla is one smart doggie! She won me over in less than two minutes. She loves to please, gives the sweetest kisses and will crawl right into your lap. Lylla is a 4-5 month old Lab mix with lots of love to give. She is crate-trained, knows a number of basic commands and would make a great family addition. For more information on Lylla, please click here.

Getting the Right Gear

In preparation for our upcoming camping trip, we bought each of the boys a pack about a month ago so that they could carry their own food & water. After a lot of research my husband ordered each of the boys a Palisades Pack (shown above) made by a great company called Ruff Wear. Actually, we ordered both the Approach Pack and the Palisades Pack to see which one we (and the boys) liked best. Both of the packs were great...made from durable material featuring lots of spacious pockets and plenty of padding to make the packs comfortable to wear. The pack attaches to a harness, so you can easily remove the pack when stopping for a swim or water break. Ultimately, we ended up choosing the Palisades Pack because it features two water bladders to make it easy to stop for a quick drink along the way.

To get the boys used to wearing the packs, we started taking them on walks with just the detachable harness. A leash easily attaches to a hook on the top of the harness to make walking even easier. After a few days with just the harness we added the packs for added weight, but didn't put anything in them just yet. At first, the boys seemed a little confused about why they couldn't walk as close to each other as they usually like to, but they adjusted pretty quickly. In fact, they seemed to have an added spring to their step and tried to pull us like they were part of a dog sled team. Last night we added water to their packs for added weight, and although Cooper tried to stay put at first, after a minute, he decided it wasn't so bad, and they both got moving pretty quickly. As long as the weather is nice, I'll take pictures this weekend of the boys in their official gear. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this cute picture that we took last year after their first bath...

Happy Friday!

Backpacking with the Boys

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we are itching to take the boys on their first camping trip. We have taken them on a few hikes on the trails in the Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve behind the Elachee Nature Science Center, and they loved it! The trails feature many creeks that Brady & Cooper love to run to for a quick cool down. They love to swim and go on walks, so I can only imagine how much they will love camping! When searching for a great spot for their first trip (one that's dog-friendly, a little bit challenging, but not too much for their adventure), I came across a great book called "Best Hikes with Dogs." The version I bought features trails in Georgia and South Carolina, but a quick search at Barnes & Noble found similar books for many other states as well. The authors have hiked thousands of miles with their yellow lab, Rebel, and they offer a ton of great tips for planning a fun and safe trip with your dogs. A must read for anyone considering backpacking with their boys (or girls :)

As of now, we have a backpacking weekend planned for the first part of April, so we'll be spending the next few weeks getting the boys in shape and outfitted for their trip. Cute pictures of the boys with their gear coming soon!