Sam and Dexter & Alfred @MittenMadePups

Today’s episode is with Sam and her two boys Dexter and Alfred @mittenmadepups from Michigan, with tales of adventure from around the country and across the globe.

While both Dexter and Alfred were adopted, Alfred’s journey from his past situation is a pretty amazing story and involved quite a long trip. After adopting Dexter from a tough foster situation several years prior, Sam and Garrett decided it was time to adopt another pup. They attempted to go through several local rescue groups and were unsuccessful before finding out about Second Chance Dogs & Cats China Rescue. They applied and were able to adopt Alfred in December of 2019, who was flown to the United States along with the flight volunteers who assist in the rescue program. Since then, Alfred has been fitting right in to his new life and looking forward to adventures with his big brother Dexter.

One of the places that they love to explore in the Detroit area is Belle Isle State Park, a 982 acre island park on the Detroit River. Since they live so close to downtown Detroit, getting out into the state to visit other natural areas requires a bit of driving. But according to Sam who is used to traveling, everywhere is local to her! Her fiancé Garrett has a family connection to Mackinak Island, between the lower and upper peninsula. And at the extreme northwest corner of the state is Michigan’s largest state park, the Porcupine Mountains. Here, Sam, her two brothers, and Dexter recently did a backpacking trip and covered nearly thirty miles in three days.

Back in 2017, Sam and her then boyfriend Garrett packed into his Ford Escape and hit the road with Dexter, visiting every state in the lower 48 in 34 days. Some of the most memorable stops were the Adirondack Mountains in New York and Acadia National Park in Maine. There were historical stops like the Freedom Trail in Boston, the Wright Brothers National Monument at Kitty Hawk, and even prehistoric Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas. There were natural wonders like Great Sand Dunes National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, redwood trees at dog friendly Arcata Community Forest in California, Crater Lake National Park, Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming, and even man made wonders like Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. But there’s no place like home, and upon returning to Michigan, Garrett proposed to Samantha at the McGulpin Point Lighthouse near Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island.

Sam gives a shout out to Rachel and Barley, Moe & Cascade @wildgoldens and @wildwearpets, Taylor and Darwin & Charles @ourevolvingadventure and @featherstone.fotography, Jenny and Chesney @chesneythecorgi, and then of course, her dad.

Thanks for listening!

A couple links to some information from this episode:

PetPoint.com data for U.S. pet adoption and shelter numbers, including Covid-19 special reports

ASPCA symptoms and treatment information on separation anxiety in dogs