Quina Hikes with the Big Dogs on Mt. Kearsarge

Quina on the summit of Mt. Kearsarge

On Sunday, May 27, 2012, Quina and I enjoyed a spectacular day traveling to the summit of Mt. Kearsarge (2,937 ft.) located in Wilmot, New Hampshire.  The 2.8 mile round trip was ideally suited for this young terrier mix who recently arrived from an overcrowded shelter in Arkansas thanks to the life saving, volunteer efforts of Almost Home Rescue of Maine.

Quina may be only six months old, but she has proven that she can hike with the big dogs.  Quina has spent approximately five weeks in her current foster home where she has quickly become well socialized with the 7-year old child and four dogs who share her temporary living quarters.  

Meet and greet with Bailey and her family

Her foster family indicated that Quina has not had much experience with walking on a leash or riding in a car, so I was extremely impressed with her leash manners and with how quickly she settled in for the ride to Winslow State Park.  Having previously hiked Mt. Kearsarge with former foster dog hiker Bertie, I elected to take a reverse route to the summit by traveling up the longer Barlow Trail and descending via the shorter, steeper Winslow Trail.  The holiday weekend brought many human and canine hikers to the trails, so Quina and I had plenty of opportunities for meeting and greeting.  She was consistently friendly and occasionally yet understandably a bit cautious with the people she encountered.

Climbing high on the Barlow Trail

Quina happily accepted a number of welcoming compliments from fellow hikers such as, "Oh - look what a cute dog!"  She was equally excited about pats on the head from people of all ages.  Two young girls, ages 4 and 6, spent several minutes talking to and petting Quina at the summit as we took a break from photos and enjoyed the views.  The young girls' father was amazed at how calmly Quina accepted the attention by sitting patiently while the sisters took turns patting her head and talking excitedly about their hopes of having a dog of their own in the future.

Hiking with the big dogs - literally!

If you or someone you know is looking to add a canine member to your family, sweet Quina would be a wonderful addition.  You can view a full album of photos from Quina's hike.  Additional information and an application for adoption are available on her profile at Petfinder.com

Daisy Leaps to Top of Fletcher's Cascades

Daisy at the start of the Drake Brook trail

For our gorgeous girl Daisy, we were in search of a moderate hike - one without steep climbing that could accommodate the short legs and sturdy frame of an approximately 55- pound Bassador retriever hound.  We found the perfect route to the top of Fletcher's Cascades located in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire via the Drake Brook and Fletcher's Cascade trails.

Fletcher's Cascades

Daisy and I meandered up and down the quiet trails leading to Fletcher's Cascades for nearly three hours and covered 3.2 miles.  We did not encounter any other hikers until we were almost at the top of the Cascades.  Daisy warmly greeted our fellow hikers and posed for a few photos which one of them so kindly offered to take for us.

No leaping required

While Daisy's leaps may be lacking in height, her limbo skills are second to none and also enabled her to tackle a number of trees that had fallen across the trails.  Basset hounds are also not known for their swimming ability, but it was obvious that her Labrador instincts took over every time Daisy crossed the brook as she happily splashed and waded through the water.

Daisy proves that long legs are overrated

At the end of our journey, I was convinced that Daisy had enjoyed her hike and that she would be a perfect addition to a family in search of a happy hound dog.  Daisy, formerly known as Stormy, is currently residing in a foster home with volunteers from Almost Home Rescue.  Her foster family reports that Daisy gets along well with her canine siblings, easily tolerates the resident rabbits and is friendly with all of the people she meets in and around her home.

A complete album of photos from Daisy's hike is available online here.   Please share her adventure with friends and family and help find her a home!

See you on the trails!

Roscoe Braves High Winds on Mt. Cardigan

Roscoe en route to the summit of Mt. Cardigan

This wonderful one year old mixture of Labrador retriever, giant Schnauzer and possibly Scottish deerhound is known formally as Pedro.  His foster family feels that he both resembles and responds better to his nickname Roscoe.  And so for our journey to the summit of Mt. Cardigan (3,155 ft.) on Sunday, April 29th, I chose to address him informally as Roscoe.

Roscoe meets Emma and samples some treats

We had the opportunity to encounter several hikers - both human and canine - on our trip to the summit.    Roscoe was a perfect gentleman when greeting everyone he met.  He also displayed exquisite leash manners throughout our hike along the loop comprising the Manning, Mowglis, Clark, Cathedral Forsest and Holt trails which begins at the AMC Lodge located in Alexandria, New Hampshire.  I was very impressed with how well Roscoe responded to commands and instinctively waited for me to be walking right alongside him before proceeding further up the trail.

Just below the summit of Firescrew Mountain

A few of the hikers we encountered had traveled a reverse loop with an ascent up the Holt Trail, and they strongly cautioned that it was NOT dog friendly.  A partial description of the upper section of the Holt Trail in the AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide reads, "The upper ledges are very steep, and the scramble up these ledges is much more difficult than on any other trail in this section and one of the most difficult in New England...",

Time for only a few windblown photos from the summit

While there are likely a number of canine hikers who have successfully climbed the Holt Trail (in addition to the very agile German shepherd mix we met at the summit on Sunday), Roscoe and I want to pass along this word of caution to others who may be contemplating that route.  There are plenty of other more dog friendly ways to reach the summit of Mt. Cardigan.  Roscoe needed very little assistance on the route we selected which included a stop at the summit of Firescrew Mountain (3,064 ft.).  Our only complaint from the otherwise perfectly gorgeous day was that the high winds at the summit of Mt. Cardigan made it very chilly and difficult to take more than a few photos.  We continued further down the trail for a short break just below the summit before completing the second half of our loop.

Roscoe making it difficult for me to say goodbye

Roscoe was rescued from an overcrowded animal shelter in Arkansas thanks to the all volunteer efforts of Almost Home Rescue of Maine.  He currently shares his foster home with two adults and a 7-month old Labrador retriever mix.  To learn more about Roscoe, share his information with a friend or apply to adopt him, please visit his profile here on Petfinder.com.  In addition, you can view a full album of photos from his hike.  A short video clip from Roscoe's hike is provided below and can also be viewed online here.

Jack is a Ladies Man on Mount Sunapee

Gentleman Jack on the way to Mt. Sunapee

It was an enjoyable return to the trails on Saturday, April 14, 2012 with summer like weather to keep me warm and foster dog Jack to keep me company.  With the thermometer reading only thirty degrees when I left my house on Saturday morning, I was questioning the accuracy of the day's weather forecast and bringing along a hat and gloves seemed rather reasonable.

Jack giving me his best puppy dog eyes

However, by the time Jack and I arrived at the start of the Andrew Brook Trail, it was already sixty degrees and bright and sunny for our climb to the summit of Mt. Sunapee (2,745 feet).  Jack is a sweet, two-year old Coonhound who recently arrived from an overcrowded animal shelter in West Virginia.  Thanks to the support of Canine Guardians for Life, Inc., he has happily settled into the foster home that he shares with two other large male dogs where he loves getting attention and playing with a variety of toys.

The added security of a safety strap for the leash

As we parked at the trail head, I could sense Jack's excitement to hit the trails and take in all the smells they had to offer a scent driven hound.  I did not think Jack would quickly wander off if I happened to drop the leash, but I am taking extra precautions against any dog getting lost on the trails.  I have purchased a safety strap that secures my wrist to the end of the leash.  So, in the event of a stumble like the one that resulted in Jennie getting lost on the trails, the leash will remain attached.  The freehand safety strap was designed specifically as a backup attachment for retractable leashes, but I found it worked just as well for a regular leash.  I would not recommend that the safety strap be used as a temporary tie out to a tree or a post especially for larger dogs who could break free.  As a wrist strap, however, I highly recommend it.

Jack meets Rada at Lake Solitude

Jack and I took our time hiking along the Andrew Brook, Solitude and Summit Trails with several photo stops along the way.  At Lake Solitude, Jack was thrilled to make the acquaintance of a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog named Rada.  Jack also dipped his feet in the lake but then quickly decided the water was a bit too chilly for a deeper swim.  After a short break, we headed on to the White Ledges overlooking the lake for some more encounters with fellow canine hikers.

Scarlet oversees Jack and Lily's introduction

Atop the White Ledges, Jack and I were met rather boisterously by German shepherd Scarlet who despite her alpha greeting proved to be very interested in Jack and welcomed him to the scenic overlook.  Scarlet then introduced Jack to her owners and her canine sister Lily the Labrador retriever.  After a few more photos, Jack was disappointed to see the ladies leave as they headed down to the lake for a swim.

Taking in the views just below the summit

We eventually made our way along the Summit Trail to the top of Mt. Sunapee for a last look at the remnants of ski season and to take in the views of Lake Sunapee.  Jack enjoyed a short stroll on the snow before we reversed our route and concluded our approximately 6.5 mile adventure in the middle of the afternoon.  Jack was seemed to enjoy the woods and all of the attention and compliments that he received from fellow hikers. 

Now, we hope that all this positive attention will bring Jack one step closer to being adopted into a permanent home.  A full photo album of Jack's journey is available online.

To learn more about Jack and/or to share his adoption profile with others, please visit his page on Petfinder.com.

See you on the trails!

Missing a Foster Dog and Finding Hope

Jennie resting at the scenic lookout on our previous hike

I really hate seeing a dog in a cage.

Homeless dogs living in foster homes provided by volunteer rescue groups such as Almost Home Rescue of Maine and Canine Guardians for Life, Inc. do not live in cages.  They live with families who donate their time, space and resources to providing homeless dogs a temporary living situation while permanent families are found. 

Nearly a year ago, I decided that I could support the rescue groups by hiking with foster dogs in an effort to provide them socialization as well as information, photos and videos to strengthen their adoption profiles.
 
After dozens of successful outings, including some 4,000 footers and even a few hikes in less than ideal weather conditions, I thankfully have never lost a dog on a hike.  The dogs are always on a leash.  There have been some dogs with beginning leash manners, other dogs with a high prey drive for small creatures they heard and smelled off in the woods, and even one nearly 100-pound Great Dane/Labrador mix who practically towed me up and down Mt. Shaw.  Still, I held on tight.

Then, the unthinkable happened as I was beginning my second hike with foster dog Jennie on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Jennie is a sweetheart who loves other dogs, but she takes a little longer to warm up to new people and is still rather timid of new environments and new sounds.  In an effort to minimize the newness of the situation, I decided that I would use the leash that Jennie was wearing when I picked her up that morning.  Normally, I use my own leash - a style that I use with my own dogs and with all of the foster dog summit hikers.  For some reason, I thought it would benefit Jennie to have her own leash on this time.

As I was taking my first steps with Jennie en route to the start of the Mt. Roberts Trail for our second hike on Saturday, I remember glancing over at her tail and seeing that it was curled upward in a happy, confident position.  That was quite an improvement over the start of our first trip back in February when she hiked for a quite a distance with her tail tucked between her legs.

As I was concluding that happy thought, I managed to stumble loudly over a rock, crunch through a bunch of leaves, and the leash with the unfamiliar grip slid out of my hand and hit the ground.  The unfamiliar sounds startled Jennie, and she tore off into the woods dragging her pink leash behind her.  I ran after her and tried unsuccessfully to call and coax her back to me.  Jennie was gone.  I had lost a dog.

While panic was setting in, I managed to run through the woods in the direction she was heading until I hit the Cold Springs Trail.  I looked up the trail and across into the woods and could not see Jennie.  I decided that she might have headed down, so I started in that direction.  Near the start of the Cold Springs Trail, I encountered a family of hikers and their dog named Star.  I immediately told them what happened, asked if they saw Jennie and then inquired about walking up the Cold Springs Trail with them in the hopes that Star could lure Jennie out of the woods.  They were more than happy to interrupt their plans for a quiet family hike and joined me in the search for a missing foster dog.

After a short while, it was clear that Jennie was not going to be found quickly.  I had no choice but to alert her foster family and to contact her rescue group with the unfortunate news.

Jennie's foster immediately joined the search with another of his dogs.  My husband and his friend abandoned their fantasy baseball draft to the auto-draft setting and brought along my own two dogs to begin combing the nearby trails.  Numerous other hikers we met on the trails re-directed their plans to the area of Mt. Roberts and the surrounding trails in an effort to find Jennie.  A woman named Mariah and her hound dog Marley rounded up another friend and her dog and headed up the Mt. Roberts Trail.  Volunteers with Almost Home Rescue of Maine and Canine Guardians for Life, Inc. began getting the missing dog alert out to the social networks and created missing dog posters.  Granite State Dog Recovery began circulating an online alert to its Facebook followers.

The foster dog who had been hiking in search of a home suddenly had countless people hiking in search of her.

Unfortunately, as darkness fell, our collective efforts had not produced a single sighting of Jennie.  The search intensified throughout the day on Sunday.  Numerous hikers and their dogs who learned about Jennie showed up to help find her.  The hiker's parking area was overflowing with cars, and more hikers already on the trails that day also started looking for Jennie.

Having hiked with Jennie a month prior along the Shannon Brook Trail, I followed my hunch that she might have headed in the direction.  By mid-morning, I spotted Jennie coming up the Shannon Brook Trail near the intersection of the Bald Knob Cutoff.  Unfortunately, she had already been startled by some hikers making their way up the trail.  Before I had a chance to even call her name, Jennie turned and ran.  I encountered the other hikers further down the trail who eagerly began assisting in the search.  As I headed towards the brook, they continued up Bald Knob Cutoff where they spotted Jennie bushwhacking her way down the mountain.

Searchers were alerted to the latest sighting and re-directed their efforts over the next couple days.  Tina, a volunteer from Canine Guardians for Life, Inc., searched with her dogs for several hours each day in the area of the last sighting.  While Tina and many other searchers reported hearing a dog barking, Sunday morning was the last sighting that we had of Jennie.

Our non-stop efforts throughout Sunday, Monday and Tuesday did not locate Jennie.  By Monday afternoon, a humane trap had been placed in the area alongside the Shannon Brook Trail towards the direction of Bald Knob.  Unfortunately, the can of food that was placed in the trap on Monday night was likely taken by a wily coyote.

On Tuesday morning the trap was re-baited with a tasty and strong smelling mix of Bravo raw turkey burgers for pets, Beneful dog food, sliced turkey and provolone cheese.  The pile of food was placed directly onto the bottom of the trap just beyond the step plate that triggers the back gate to close.  Items of clothing from Jennie's foster home were also placed on top of the trap.

We left the trails at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night exhausted yet hopeful that Jennie was still in the area and would find her way to the dinner waiting for her. 

Jennie, still dragging her leash, awaiting release from the trap

This is one dog that I was really happy to see in a cage!

Jennie was happy to be released from the humane trap early in the morning on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 after being on the run for nearly four days.  She is back at her foster home waiting for the perfect forever family.

My sincere thanks to everyone who assisted in finding Jennie.  I know that I had the opportunity to meet and speak with only a small number of the people who joined in the effort.  I am also extremely grateful to everyone who has insisted that it was an accident and not to let this incident deter me from future hikes.  In response, I would still like to offer my sincere apologies for not having a better grip on the leash.  There is still fault to be had in my temporary loss of focus and for that I am deeply sorry.

There will be more hikes, and I am in the process of obtaining a GPS collar for the dogs to wear.  While there is no method that can provide a 100% guarantee against a dog getting lost; a GPS collar can focus and shorten a search effort.

See you on the trails!

Adair Makes Tracks to the High Ridge Trail

Adair making tracks

Foster dog Adair enjoyed making fresh tracks in the snow en route to the High Ridge Trail leading to Faraway Mountain.  This super sweet, six month old Labrador retriever mix acted as if snowshoe hikes were second nature to him.  As Adair enjoyed stomping through the fresh snow and chasing windblown leaves across the trail, it was difficult to believe that only a few months ago he had been found abandoned with his litter mates outside a church in Arkansas. 

A thought filled break on the trail

Thankfully, Adair is now resting comfortably in a foster home with a volunteer from Almost Home Rescue of Maine while he waits to find a family to call his own.  He is obviously ready to find his permanent home with a family in New England who will enjoy his kindness and appreciate his love of travel and the great outdoors.  With his advanced level leash manners and a desire to remain close by, Adair was perfect company for a winter walk in the woods. 

An exciting view from the lookout

While the strong winds tended to slow our upward progress at times, Adair and I did not mind taking our time along the trails leading to Faraway Mountain - one of several peaks in the Ossipee Mountain Range.  While we did not have time to reach the summit of Faraway Mountain, we were pleased with making our way to the High Ridge Trail via the Oak Ridge, Lower Bridle Path and Faraway Mountain Trails before turning around to complete our wintry out and back adventure.

Watching the children sledding nearby

We did not encounter any other hikers on our journey, but Adair has proven himself capable of interacting well with people and pets of all ages in his foster home.  He was also captivated by the sight of a few children sledding on a nearby hill where we completed our hike.  Adair sat quietly and watched the children playing while I took a few final photos. 

A complete album of photos documenting Adair's journey is available online.  Below is a short video clip of Adair making fresh tracks on a section of the Faraway Mountain Trail.  To learn more about Adair and to make an application to adopt him into your family, please visit his profile here on Petfinder.com.

Hiking with Jennie to Faraway Mountain

Jennie making tracks on the Shannon Brook Trail

Following a three week hiatus from hiking with the foster dogs, I was looking forward to an outing with Jennie who arrived only two weeks ago from her native Arkansas.  Jennie, who is known more formally as Jeanette, has spent nearly all of the first two years of her life living in a shelter.  As a result, she is very timid and still getting accustomed to new experiences.

Jennie and I get acquainted with snowshoes

I decided that Jennie would be the ideal companion for my first real winter hike - one that would at least require the use of microspikes and possibly snowshoes as well.  Together, we would experience the snow covered trails and decide if this was something we might want to do again.  Of course, Jennie did not really have a basis for comparison.  She had never been on a hike or even had much experience with cars, homes, strangers and especially snow.  The past two weeks have been a shock to her senses, and Jennie is slowly and carefully processing all of it.

I, on the other hand, prefer to ski in the winter, and I am happy to purchase my way to the top of the mountain with a lift ticket for the chairlift.  My experience with climbing uphill in winter has been limited to those unfortunate incidents when a bad fall may leave one or both of my skis or poles further up the mountain than the location to which I ultimately slid.  Skiers refer to this as a yard sale.  Even then, before trudging several feet uphill, I may hesitate and hope that someone skiing behind me may sympathize and bring the equipment to me.

A timid tail at the start

So, Jennie and I set out for a hike of moderate length and difficulty along the trails leading to Faraway Mountain in the Ossipee Mountain Range located at the Caste in the Clouds property in Moultonborough.  We realized that we might not have time to reach the summit given the combination of a late morning start from the Shannon Brook Trail, slower pace in the snow and decreased sunlight that winter brings.  Nevertheless, we would focus on the journey not the destination. 

Going along for the ride but with a curious look

Despite her initial hesitation to go along for a ride, Jennie proved to be a perfect companion in the car where she rested quietly for the trip to the trail head along Route 171.  Like her sibling Jordan who has since been adopted, Jennie is also residing temporarily in a foster home with a volunteer from Almost Home Rescue of Maine. Jennie enjoys the company of other dogs in her foster home, so I knew that she would get along with the young Labrador that we encountered shortly after beginning our hike. 

I regret that I did not get a photograph of Jennie and the fellow canine hiker.  However, Jennie excitedly yet appropriately greeted the other dog while I spoke to his owner about Almost Home Rescue and Foster Dog Summit.  One of his friends had just adopted a dog from a rescue group, so he was looking forward to sharing the story of Jennie and her hike. 

Enjoying a relaxing view from the Lower Bridle Path lookout

During our trek along the Shannon Brook, Lower Bridle Path and Faraway Mountain Trails, Jennie had the opportunity to experience the roar of snowmobiles, the crunch of snowshoes and the beauty of a spectacular view.  Since there is a fine line between desensitizing and further traumatizing a timid dog, we took our time on the trails, and I praised Jennie for not always overreacting to unfamiliar sights and sounds.  Jennie walked in perfect step beside me the entire hike.  The trail was packed just enough to carry her approximately 55 pound frame, so Jennie did not sink into the snow or need to follow behind in my tracks.  I wore microspikes to combat the icy, hard packed surfaces and only donned the snowshoes once the afternoon sun made the Faraway Mountain Trail a little like quicksand on every third or fourth step I took. 

A relaxing finish as sunset nears

Unfortunately, approximately 1/2 mile short of the High Ridge Trail, we realized that Faraway Mountain was simply too far away for us to reach and return safely in daylight.  So, we decided to travel this way again sometime, but we both agreed that it would be alright if instead Jennie hiked it with her new family.  To assist Jennie in finding that adoptive home, please share her adventure with friends and family and be sure to visit her profile on Petfinder.com.  A complete album of photos from Jennie's hike is available for viewing.