Long Haul Trekkers is an award-winning multi-media brand featuring a blog, shop, and courses (coming soon!) for the adventure dog parent. You’ll find content about trying new outdoor sports with your dogs, dog-friendly travel itineraries, gear reviews, and dog training tips.
Readers of my blog can find their next dog-friendly adventure, have confidence bringing their dog along on a new sport, and can trust my training advice because I have worked with professional trainers to create the ideal trail companion.
I am an advocate for balanced training methods because I have experienced first hand the freedom and safety they provide for my dog in the outdoors.
My in depth gear reviews include products I have personally tested myself, or that I have researched extensively. You won’t just find the top selling products on Amazon here. No, I vet everything I recommend, and if I wouldn’t buy it myself, I won’t recommend it to you.
The Foxey Doggo shop features exclusive designs as well as products made by pet industry entrepreneurs that pass my buying guidelines. You’ll find innovative products made by creative entrepreneurs, including women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC that fall within the quadruple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit, Purpose.
Long Haul Trekkers has been featured in Adventure Cyclist Magazine, Bicycle Times, Travel Oregon, The Bark, and more.
Meet the Team
Jen Sotolongo
Jen is a single dog mom to Sitka and the owner of Long Haul Trekkers. She is also a freelance journalist and content marketing writer and author of the Falcon Guide The Ultimate Guide to Hiking with Dogs.
She has been a dog mom for over 10 years and has had pets throughout her life. Jen is an enthusiastic dog trainer wannabe who has soft spot for reactive dogs and loves working with them to shift their mindset and show them the world isn’t such a scary place, after all.
She lives in Bend, Oregon, where you can find her and Sitka trail running, exploring the mountains or enjoying a post-adventure craft beer. She’s also a damn good vegan cook and sourdough bread baker.
Sitka
Sitka is a Red Heeler mix adopted from Hood River Adopt a Dog. He is a sweet boy with plenty of energy and spunk. A fence jumper in his first life, these days, he is learning the ropes of what it takes to be an adventure dog.
He loves the water and will hop in any river or lake, no matter the temperature. Unfortunately, he doesn’t feel the same way about bath time, despite his enjoyment of running through mud and puddles.
Sora 2005-2018
Sora was the dog who inspired this blog. She was an Australian Shepherd adopted from Family Dogs New Life in Portland, OR in 2008.
She joined Jen and Dave, her partner at the time, on their two-year bicycle trip across Europe and South America. After a recurring battle with cancer, she went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2018.
Sora traveled to nearly 30 countries on her adventures, graced the cover of a magazine and served as the face of adoption for an animal rights group in Medellin, Colombia.
Sora was the original adventure dog of the pack and inspired this blog. She was Jen’s heart dog and the love of her life.
I love my day job and love seeing people make their lives the one they really want. I also love dogs and traveling. All this means I am very much looking forward to peeking in on your journey.
Thank, Jeri! We look forward to you following along. You do such a great job in your work and I can honestly say that I’ve never worked for a company who invests so much in their employees.
Yay! Very exciting to be connected. I am a fellow BGI grad– (C6 Class) and a former bicycle tour guide. I guided my 1st year with Willie Weir– an amazing bicycle adventurer and story teller. I share his name with you in case you want to see how he cobbled together a living and followed his passion. I saw him speak at REI about 5 years ago… and he has really refined his craft. Check him out. And, enjoy!
Hi Julie, how fun that you know Willie Weir! My mom bought us two of his books just before we departed and we devoured them. I’d love to connect with him sometime to learn more about how he scraps together his living to cycle around the world. I just don’t know how approachable he is these days! Thanks so much for reaching out.
I just found your website and look forward to reading. I was on an around the world bicycle trip starting in Bangkok. I made it all the way south to Sydney and then from Inuvik in the Arctic Circle south through Canada and into Oregon, about 15,000 km. Near Bend, I was hit by a truck and survived despite a long list of injuries and a lot of bedtime. I am now sitting in the Philippines with my golden retriever. I’ll be reading and telling my dog all about the adventures that Sora is experiencing.
Your dog is going to be so jealous of all the sheep and alpacas Sora will meet! If we ever make it to the Philippines, she’d like to meet your pup.
We are so sorry to hear that you were hit by a truck, and in Oregon of all places. I hope that our fellow Oregonians treated you well in your time of recovery and we’re glad to hear that you’re doing well now. I hope that it hasn’t turned you off from visiting Oregon again.
Hi,
I was looking for some information to create an infographic on Hiking with dogs and came across your site.
Very informative and thanks for taking the effort. After completing the infographics., I would like to share it.