Date: 2012-05-03
To: It's all about the dog.
Miles today: 0.0

With the extra days of prep time I'm working on Bodh's gear and the contents of his pack. But preparing him has been an ongoing process and it started with research and days of reading. It seems that bringing a dog on AT is a subject of much contention within the hiking community and is HOTLY debated. Well, maybe debated isn't quite the right word. In online forums the comments from those who are opposed are often harsh and unavoidable. Even in threads clearly meant for hikers with dogs, in which posters are asking for advice or offering suggestions, comments are often made about how it's cruel and abusive to "make" you dog hike or how disgusting it is to have dogs drink from the same stream as people, etc. So I read without posting and found other more supportive resources. Bodhi loves to hike and he's very well-behaved, but even more important in my decision is the fact that he is my constant companion and this adventure is one I only want to share with him. Once the decision was made to do this, right away I began to think about him and what would be needed to make it safe and enjoyable. There have been all kinds of things to consider, research and resolve. His pack. His old pack is too small and not suitable for the long trip ahead of us, and besides, I can't find it. Research told me that the Ruffwear Palisades would be the best match for us and so I found it on sale for $75. However, while it is a great pack, full of useful features and the straps fit well around him, the panniers are much too big for a dog his size. Since it was well made and well thought out, I decided to find the smaller Ruffwear Approach pack. It's nice enough but lacks the features of the other one. I waterproofed it with spray and it will do nicely. Snakes. This is my biggest worry. He's not likely to investigate a snake on purpose, but often bites are inflicted because a dog steps over a log or rock and surprises it. I wanted to put him through the snake aversion training but can't find classes anywhere near me. So I opted for the rattlesnake vaccine. Since snake bites are uncommon in our area vets do not routinely stock it. So I contacted Red Rock Biologics, the maker of the vaccine, and they were willing to ship it to our vet, Dr. Julie Moberg at the Ocean City Humane Society. It had to be administered in two doses spaced a month apart and she took care of that. Everyone at Dr. Moberg's office has been very supportive of our plans and I'm very thankful for their excellent care. Bears. Suppose he thinks it's another dog and wants to play. Suppose a big bear decides he's small enough to make a good meal. I've read over and over that although extremely uncommon, bear attacks are often the result of the mother feeling threatened either for herself or her cubs. I bought bear bells for the ends of my trekking poles and for his pack but it didn't seem enough. So I opted to add another larger bell around his neck. He's not too crazy about this, but I'm OK with that. Food. I feed him a good quality, high protein, grain free dry food and reading informed me that this would be hard to come by easily in most trail towns. I will have some sent to me but realize that his diet, like mine, won't be what he's accustomed to. We're taking along 10 days worth to get us started and will figure it out from there. He's not very used to people food but we've been working on that. I imagine he'll eat my leftovers both to supplement his diet and to dispose of them naturally....you know, leave no trace. Water needed to be considered and whether to let him drink untreated water. As he does this already I will continue to allow him to drink from found water sources unless they appear to be unsafe and then I will give him the treated reserves I'll have. Giardia is not something I want to have to deal with. Sleeping arrangements. He'll sleep in the tent with me, of course. Some choose to leave their dogs outside but, while he's used to sleeping on the floor, he's not used to sleeping outside. When I set up the new tent he climbed right in and went to sleep. At home he has his own bed but since it's not possible to carry THAT, I bought an aluminized automobile sun screen that fits in the windshield and cut it to be the right size for him to sleep on. It's water proof on one side and the other side will hopefully keep him warm by reflecting back to him his body heat. It's packs up small and is very lightweight.Other considerations included what to carry in his medical kit and I opted for benadryl and anti-nausea pills, his next doses of Frontline and Heartguard, tweezers for who knows what, and Bag Balm for foot pad injuries, just in case. I found a leash that can be attached to my pack or wrist by velcro. He has long hair and sheds a lot so normally the groomer does some kind of treatment to reduce all that. This time I asked her leave his undercoat to keep him warmer. Eventually, as the nights become warmer, I'll cut his hair. He's just gotten his monthly heartworm medicine and I'll carry next months supply. Ticks are a concern year round here in South Jersey and despite the fact that I keep him on monthly flea/tick drops, he was getting ticks anyway. The vet sells a great tick collar that works for 3 months and he's only had one tick imbedded since then. While it's a lot of work and added weight to hike with a dog, I (and he) wouldn't have it any other way. To coin a phrase my daughter uses, I think Bodhi will be an ambassador for his species on the trail.