High mileage trail dog

Here is Mina, my trail dog, enjoying another weekend resting. She comes out on every trail ride, about 25 a year in total. The horses cover about 100 miles (160km) a week, however Mina covers something like two or three times as much ground, darting here and there, nosing about and exploring.

That might make 250 miles (400km) a week, as an educated guess, or a grand total of around 6,000 miles (10,000km) a year. That is a long way on those short legs!

Put another way, Mina might cover a distance equivalent to the circumference of the world at the equator in four years out on the trail.

So she really does need her weekends rests, when she seems to do little but sleep.

She is a wonderfully loyal dog too, watching over us during the day and guarding the horses at night. When we are riding, she seems to go back and forth counting us, making sure that she has not lost anyone. Truly, she is a special dog.

Comments

[john]

must be all that sausage she eats

[I Gallop On]

The perfect life for a dog! My Australian Cattle Dogs could use that kind of routine.

[transylvanianhorseman]

She certainly gets through some leftovers - sausage, grilled meat, etc - and does not lose weight through the season. She is such a happy dog too, loves her outdoor life. These smaller dogs are great for the trail, as they keep out of trouble and rarely get lame or sick. And fit on the front of the saddle if they do.