Today’s episode is with dog travel blogger Jen and her trail pup Sitka @longhaultrekkers, always working together on some phenomenal training and planning the next big, or little, adventure!
Jen found Sitka and adopted him quite recently in December of 2019. Sitka, who was an owner surrendered pup in the PNW, had a couple of common issues with leash reactivity and anxiety around loud vehicles. From the very beginning, Jen has been doing extensive and precise training with Sitka in order to improve his behavior and confidence. Jen was highly motivated to learn better training by her experience with a previous dog Leila, that was unmanageable. By simply reaching out to other dog parents through social media in the beginning, and eventually working with a professional trainer, she has learned and shared her techniques through her own accounts.
One of those accounts is her dog travel blog, aptly named LongHaulTrekkers.com. In her blog, Jen has years of information based on personal experience with camping, cycling, hiking, trail running and even international travel with dogs. Mixed in is lots of training, trail etiquette, and plenty of beautiful photos along with all of the dog related tips!
Some of Jen and Sitka’s favorite locations to adventure include their own local trails near Portland, as well as the trails around their friends Jessica and Gretel & Summit’s @youdidwhatwithyourwiener home in Cle Elum, Washington. Together, they have traveled to many spots in the PNW and even down to the Arizona desert, after having just met, for an Instagram meet-up. They also did an great tour of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park, finding all of the dog friendly things to do there. The Oregon coast is also one of her favorite places, and is where the Giant Spruce of Cape Perpetua Heritage Tree can be found. This is the namesake of Sitka.
Jen, along with her previous dog Sora, also did an extensive amount of international travel. They completed a bike tour through Europe, starting in Norway, and included 16 countries and more than 4,000 miles of pedaling. One of her favorites on the European tour was Turkey. After leaving Europe, they flew to South America and began a 15 month from the southern tip of Argentina all the way north to Colombia. One of the resources Jen used for her international travels was PetTravel.com. Though they don’t currently have any big international adventures planned, Jen and Sitka’s next biggest adventure will be resettling in Bend, Oregon.
Jen’s shout outs go to Amber & Ariel @ambpitch, Jura & Tala @tala_the_nubianhound, and Maria and Riley & Bodie @sup_with_pup.
For the most up to date information about traveling safely in the U.S. during Covid-19, from the CDC website: Considerations for Travelers—Coronavirus in the US.
If you would like to help support my 50 mile run fundraising efforts for All 4s Rescue League @all4srescue, please visit their website or instagram, or here at their PayPal donation link: paypal.me/all4srescue
Thanks for listening!
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