I have the best of both worlds -- my own dogs
(blue merle Shelties) are my walking companions when I do my 4-5 mile on-foot
walks/jogs down the road. Fantastic dogs -- friendly, smart, pretty
(I'm always having people stop to admire them), and being a herding
breed they are always right there by your side or at
heel.
When I ride, however, I take my neighbor's dog
-- a 15" high thin wiry black mutt who shows a decidedly confused genetic
heritage of Lab (color and muzzle), Chow (mottled tongue), terrier (wiry build
of fast-twitch rock hard muscles), and one or two or twelve other
breeds as yet unidentified. But ... that little dog is a *powerhouse*
of energy and drive, and can sure go the distance!!! Non-aggressive,
highly intelligent, and very horse savvy, too, which is a big plus.
The first time she went with me for something
more than a simple hack down the road, I was taking my 100 mile endurance
friend, Adrienne Hewitt, on a 26 mile trips over the Blue Ridge
Mountains to the Shenandoah River and back. The dog, seeing us
trotting past it's farm (which is two farms over from mine), "volunteered"
to join us -- unbeknownst to her owner who had waved hello as we went past
and then went back to doing her barn chores. The dog stayed far enough
behind that we didn't notice her until we were at the base of the
mountain, several miles from my farm. Too late and too far to
turn back and take her home, and despite all our entries and threats she quietly
refused to go back herself. Well ... she ended up going over the
mountain with us, all the way down the other side to the river where she shared
our sandwiches and picnic lunch, and then back home. Stuck with us the
whole time -- except when she hied off three or four times chasing deer.
Probably logged in 30 miles to our 26 - loving every second of the trip and
still with gobs of energy to spare. By the time we reached home, Adrienne
and I were in total awe of this little dog's powers of endurance, and had
aptly christened her "Enduro-dog".
My neighbor (a good friend and
fellow foxhunter) told me to take the dog anytime I wanted, so
... the dog has been coming on all my conditioning and long distance
training rides ever since. Loves them, too! If this dog
was a horse, she'd be a world class Endurance champion!
On the insurance issue -- not a deep
concern because I don't own her; however .... I am
responsible if I invite her along and thus are careful not to take her on
private property where other dogs are in residence, or on roads with fast
traffic, or in fields with livestock that might take "exception" to her presence
-- meaning when she comes along for the ride, I have to plan my route
accordingly. Fortunately, my riding territory is mountain paths,
public gravel roads, and the spacious fields and pasturelands of Virginia
foxhunting country, so it is generally no problem having her tag
along. Most of the riders around here (foxhunters, eventers, and
carriage drivers) take their dogs along for the ride/drive, anyway, so I've
yet to hear of it being an issue.
Besides, the increasing reports of black bear
appearances in the eastern Blue Ridge -- which I've yet to encounter even on my
frequent trips up and down the slopes, but others have honestly seen --
make it more reassuring for me to have her along, even if it's just for her to
give me a "warning" that something in the surrounding woods might be
amiss.
