Backpacking

It's the time of year when kids are getting their school supplies together, loading up their backpacks, and shopping for new stuff. My favorite item to get was a backpack. I was always interested in how many compartments where there and where I would put all my new school supplies.

Our pet is not our child. Nor is he going to school. Nor does he have any need to school supplies. But, he did got a new backpack!

I feel like this is one of those first-day-of-school pictures. You know, where you stand on the driveway with your backpack on?

But Ransom's backpack is not for school; it is for our walks. As you know by now, Ransom has a lot of energy - more than we can expend with just one walk a day. But, we can't be taking him on 3-mile walks a couple of times a day. The backpack, when loaded, allows us to walk him a shorter distance and he is still getting some good exercise.

We can load him up with up to 20 pounds. Today we just started with a gatorade on each side.

The backpack is also supposed to give your dog a sense of purpose, a job to do, and a reason to follow us. I am happy to say it works really well. Ransom doesn't seem to mind it and is definitely more focused on walking, instead of all the other distractions.

And, it allows Ransom to carry around his own poop, instead of his owners.

There is another plus to this backpack, though. We can't wait to take Ransom hiking. There are some local trails, and we plan to camp this fall and hike. Someday, we hope we take him to Colorado when we hike. He can now be a part of our adventures.

And, not only is it great exercise for him, but he can carry our water!