Yup, you read that right. We did a two-hour uphill hike today. And with Mocha’s dog backpack on, you’d think he’d get tired, right?
If you thought that, you’re a fool. Like us. The darn little guy didn’t get tired at all. We think he got tired near the end of the two-hour hike, but I think we got so tired that we started to believe, truly believe, that Mocha was tired too.
“I think he’s getting tired.”
“Yea, I think so too.”
“He’s slowing down.”
“Totally.”
“We should stop and turn back now.”
“Yea, you’re right.”
“No sense in tiring the poor boy out.”
“Yea. Let’s go back now.”
Meanwhile, Mocha’s like, “What? we’re going home already? Awww…”
Since the dog backpack worked so well yesterday, we thought we could try using it back home.
Our plan:
Load up the pockets with cans of soda to weigh it down, then play fetch down the hallway.
The result:
Mocha loved it! He loves fetch in any form, outdoors or indoors, so of course he loved it. He didn’t quite understand the effect of the added bulk to his body though. Namely, he’d dive under the bed and get stuck because the backpack was too large. Or he’d try to squeeze through a narrow opening and get stopped in his tracks. At one point, he tried to turn a corner and smacked into the wall so hard that a can of soda almost exploded. Damn this boy has a lot of energy.
By the end of the fetch session, he was pretty pooped. Unfortunately, he recovered fairly quickly. That means this might not be an effective part of his daily exercise, but it could augment it well.
Went for a nice early-morning hike today with Mocha and his new dog backpack. He seemed to dig it immensely. Took a little while to balance out both pockets with water and treats. After giving him some water, one side would get lighter than the other, so we had to shift things around a bit. Other than that, it worked like a charm.
However, we think a sprinkle of pee got onto the back bottom strap of the backpack. We can’t tell for sure though. It didn’t look wet, though neither of us wanted to put our face up to his privates to sniff & confirm it.
We got Mocha a Ruff Wear Approach Dog Pack today, so he can carry his own stuff (water, food, treats, etc) on long walks and hikes. A friend suggested this product. I’ve also seen dog backpacks in general recommended by the Dog Whisperer too, as a means of exercise and giving your dog a sense of purpose (“I will carry this stuff; it is my duty!”). So since Cesar said so, it must be a good idea.
So far, we’re pleased. Mocha seems to like it. The backpack fit on him well and he didn’t fuss as we put it on. Perhaps because it felt like a harness, he acted like we were ready to take him out – see his tail wagging so fast it’s a blur? He’s looking at me and going, “C’mon Daddy, put down the damn camera and let’s go out!”
Each pouch has plenty of room for a water bottle, some dog food & treats, and a collapsible dog bowl. Each. Not to shabby, huh?
For the collapsible dog bowls, we purchased two Ruff Wear Quencher Dog Bowls, one for food and one for water. They fold up nicely and look easy to wash.
The materials look & feel sturdy. They are waterproof and hopefully pee-proof – which is our one fear. The back bottom strap seems a bit close to Mocha’s, you know, deflated prune sack. We’re really hoping it doesn’t get soaked in pee.
