Share Your Adventure Winners 2014

january: hank + julie of holden, maine

how did you two meet?

"We met the day I picked him up from the breeders in New Hampshire and he's been a Momma's boy ever since!"

what types of adventures do you enjoy together?

"Every weekend we have Mommy & Me time. We will go for a long walk and romp in the woods, or we will go to town and visit all the pet shops and other stores that allow him in. No matter where we go, it's an adventure as most people have never seen a Shiloh and we get so many questions... and people wanting to say, "Hi!". He is an excessively friendly boy and loves the attention."

tell us more about your winning photo!

This is in the woods where we live, he loves running through the open field. We do fun training things like "find it", or I make him stay and walk to the other end of the field and then he runs full speed to me.

february: jack + diane of charleston, maine

how did you two meet?

"My aunt has two beautiful Goldens, and I was lucky enough to get one of the pups from their second litter. Jack was chosen by me at one week of age, and I was able to see him weekly until he was old enough to come home."

what types of adventures do you enjoy together?

"We enjoy boating in the summer, swimming, hiking, and he is currently in training to search for moose antlers - he hasn't quite caught on yet, but he's getting there!"

tell us more about your winning photo!

"This photo was taken here in Maine, on a hike we took in the woods to search for moose antler drops. None were found, but Jack had an excellent time; here he is jumping over what I assume to be a rock under the snow. He loves to jump over anything!"

march: roxy + samy of fort collins, colorado

how did you two meet? 

"On a highway in rural Virginia. I almost hit her with my car! 5 years later and she's my best friend, adventure buddy, and road trip copilot."

what types of adventures do you enjoy together?

"Roxy and I love to go hiking and have climbed several 14ers here in Colorado. We also go camping and I'm looking forward to adding Alcott's sleeping bag to our gear! In the summer we head out to the reservoir for some beach time. Roxy loves swimming. We also love to drive up into the mountains in the winter to go snowshoeing, snowboarding, or just frolick in the snow. Roxy and I have taken numerous road trips across the country and she's a great canine copilot."

tell us about your winning photo!

"This picture was taken near the summit of the Castle Peak 14er hike near Aspen, CO. Roxy probably hiked the 4,600' elevation gain twice with all of her side adventures chasing Pika and blazing new trails."

april: ruby + lara of denver, co

how did you two meet?

"Ruby came from an overcrowded shelter in Arkansas and was fostered by a rescue group in Colorado until I saw her picture on Petfinder. I could not resist her sparkling, intelligent eyes and her beautiful red and white markings."

we love her markings too! we think she looks like alcott! what types of adventures does she love the most?

"Ruby and I love to have playdates with her doggie friends, go on sniffabouts around the neighborhood, play tug, fetch and trick-train. I have had Ruby for nine months and in that time she has learned over 25 tricks! Ruby especially loves visits to my horse-trainer friend's house where she plays with a labradoodle and two corgis."

Ruby and her mom even have their own blog. Be sure to keep up with their latest adventures at http://myrubicondays.blogspot.com/. 

may: cayenne + melissa of castle rock, co

we hear cayenne is a "foster failure". can you explain to our readers what that means?

Cayenne was supposed to be a temporary foster dog to help out a friend who had too many rescue dogs come into her care. Right from the start, that pup would follow me around the house, into the bathroom, outside, up and down stairs. She wanted lap time anytime someone was sitting down. I hadn't planned on having a dog, and was trying to find a good home for her, but no home seemed good enough. I heard myself telling a good family that I decided to keep her, and realized I meant it.

what kind of adventures does cayenne enjoy the most?

Cayenne is truly a Colorado dog. She is fantastic off leash and sits at the curb watching her precious ball rolling down the street. It's such a struggle for her because chasing her ball is her very favorite hobby. Cay loves camping, especially if we remember to bring her dog bed, tennis ball and sleeping bag. She loves swimming and hiking, and snoozing in the sun while "protecting" the house or her little boy. When the hose is on, she is right there to "catch" the stream, its a great way to give her a bath without her even realizing she is getting one. We call her our snow dog because she goes out of her way to find soft patches of snow to roll in, burrow through and dig in. That doggie grin is wide when she is playing in the snow.

where did you snap this super cute pic?

This picture was taken during a hike to Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs, CO. I asked her to sit and take a break because she had been chasing her ball into the fall for quite a long time. As you can tell from that expression, she wanted no part of the break!

june: stanley + lynne of bradford, ma

how did you two meet?

Stanley was adopted as a puppy, from a local rescue group who had rescued his pregnant mother from Missouri.

he looks like he loves the water. what else does he love to do on his adventures?

Stanley loves to hike--especially the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He did his first 4,000 footer (Mt. Jackson) in October, 2013. Not only does he swim, but he loves to chase rocks. He enjoys walks in the woods but if there is water nearby that is where you are sure to find him. 

we can hear the water flowing just looking at this amazing photo. tell us more about it.

This picture was taken at Weir Hill, in North Andover, Massachusetts, which is part of the Trustees of the Reservations which own and care for more than 100 special places – 25,000+ acres – across Massachusetts. It is a special dog friendly spot that we visit on the weekends. The trails lead to a reservoir where dogs can cool off and Stanley can chase rocks. It is here that Stanley learned his passion for chasing rocks in the water, when a couple of little kids decided to throw rocks for him. Now there is nothing that makes Stanley happier!

july: fiona, izak + ashley of gildert, az

how did you three meet?

I meet Izak when he was four weeks old on a ranch. It was love at first sight. Brought him home at 8 weeks. Four years later, Fiona came into our lives adding spunk and sass everyday!

these dogs look wet... and totally happy. tell us about this photo.

This picture is of Izak and Fiona at Grand Mere Beach in Michigan! We traveled all the way from Gilbert, Arizona. It was a 3 day adventure. Izak has done the trip three times now but this was Fiona first big adventure!! They were awesome. We have been spending as much time as possible exploring the beach and they love the freedom.

what do they do when they're not at the beach?

We love just hanging out, learning agility, herding and swimming. We try to do something fun everyday! They love endless games of fetch and herding sheep, but they find plenty of time to cuddle up together. 

august: quincy bean + bryn of south hadley, ma

how did you two meet?

We first met our little Bean as a weee pup at a breeder in New Hampshire! It was love at first snuggle. She joined our family a short while later.

where was this breathtaking photo taken?

Bean hiked with us to the top of Mt. Skinner in Massachusetts. This is her surveying the sites in the land below!

she clearly loves hiking. what else does she like to do?

We live in an area where there are lots of bike trails and hiking opportunities, so we take advantage of that! We do as much as we can together... shopping trips, car rides, walks, hikes and of course bring your dog to work day.

september: milo, fea, hannah + david of belleville, ontario

how did you all meet?

We met Milo 7 years ago in Hauge, Netherlands when we adopted him from his 5th owner. And We met Fea a few months ago in Saltio, Mexico when we rescued her from a chihuahua breeding farm.

this is a really cool family photo. tell us about it.

We have been traveling with Milo on multiple bicycle tours in Europe and North America. Milo has traveled with us to 7 countries! Our current bike tour brought us took us from Canada to Guatemala with Milo in tow. We are currently in Northern Mexico and Canada bound! The newest addition to our family, Fea has been traveling with us for nearly 2 months and loves it! She is about to leave Mexico for the first time in her estimated 5 years of life to the USA, Canada and beyond. This photo is of my spouse, David with Fea and me, Hannah, with Milo biking in Monclova, Coahuila. We were enjoying the overcast weather and new desert views. Milo especially loves wide open spaces!

what else do you love to do together?

Obviously, we love to travel the world by bicycle. When not biking our dogs love to stretch their legs walking, running, swimming and playing fetch. We love snuggling with our dogs and always look forward to crawling into our tent at the end of a long day biking.

Curious how two people and two pets can survive on cross country bike tours? You can follow of their two-wheeled adventures online at: thefreelife.weebly.com

october: kimo, pepper + rhonda of honokaa, hawaii

As a little girl, I grew up with a Benji-looking dog for 14 wonderful years. And then I went without a dog for 20+ years because "now wasn't a good time" until 3 years ago (I'm now 42). I wish I wouldn't have waited so long because my chocolate Labby boy (Kimo) adds so much to my life. I can't imagine life without him...and then two years ago I was offered a hunting dog that had been abandoned and was underweight and missing much of his fur. Pepper and Kimo are best buddies now!

we're super jealous that you live in hawaii. how do you get the most of your amazing scenery?

I love doing something different every day and am fortunate to have miles and miles of various hiking trails, beaches, and water falls nearby. We love to explore new places...The dogs seem to love sniffing out all the new stuff while I enjoy the scenery of new spots here on Big Island of Hawaii.

this photo is just stunning. tell us about it!

This photo was taken at Anaehoomalu Bay in Waikoloa, Hawaii (on the Big Island) during our stay at Lava Lava Beach Club. We stayed in a beach cottage and loved being able to spend the day running up and down the sandy beach, frolicking in the ocean, and then washed them in the cottage's outdoor shower before taking a nap on the soft dog bed that Lava Lava provided to us. Management also delivered dog treats for the boys!

If you want to keep up with their island adventures, be sure to check out Rhonda's blog: LavaDogsHawaii.com

november: oscar + courtney of jackson, wy

how did this handsome face join your family?

I had been searching for a lab puppy for a few years and found Oscar online, so as fast as I could I got in my car and drove the hour to go look at the pups. Oscar was instantly attached to me and wouldn't leave my side... I knew he was the one.

what types of adventures do your dogs love the most?

My dogs are the best companions for everything-- they love road trips, camping, swimming, running, sleeping and hiking. Oscar's favorite is playing fetch into any body of water, and Mo's is running as fast as he can for as long as he can!

clearly, oscar loves the snow. tell us more about the winning photo!

This was taken recently, after our first big snowfall. Both of my dogs love playing in the snow, and this is Oscar waiting for me to throw the ball again.