Hello! I'm Jen. I'm a writer, photographer, dog mom, and outdoor enthusiast. When I'm not writing about awesome ways to get outside with your dog, I'm probably out for a long trail run. I also fancy myself a pretty decent vegan cook, and am always happy to whip up a batch of cookies for friends. My husband and I travel the world with our dogs, most famously taking on a 2-year bicycle trip across Europe and South America. I currently live in Spain with my husband and our two dogs, but the Pacific Northwest will always be my love.
If you’re thinking about taking your dogs camping on your latest outdoor adventure, you probably have a ton of questions about what gear to bring, where your dog sleeps, and what to do with their poop and so much more. Adding your four-legged friend to the party certainly requires a bit[...]
Long days on the road mean that you may not always have the opportunity to make sure that your dog gets the physical exercise they need. For dogs with a lot of energy like Laila and Riia, mental stimulation is just as, if not more important, as physical exercise. Brain games prevent[...]
Our preferred method of overnight travel with dogs is camping. Not only is it the most dog-friendly way to explore, but spending the night outdoors creates a wonderful bonding experience between you and your canine companion. Sleeping outside introduces new stimulants for your dog. Before[...]
The timing wasn’t exactly right, but the situation sure was. Dave and I had been talking about adding a second dog to our pack for a couple months. We knew that we wanted another herder and so kept our ears and eyes open for the right dog to come our way. Every couple of weeks or so, one[...]
Sometimes, ok, often, I do this often, I drive myself crazy trying to be the most sustainable version of myself I can. I research for hours and hours about best products. I try to factor in my veganism. Is the vegan version less harmful or the animal version? And now I do the same for the[...]
Most adventure dog parents I know or associate with are fairly savvy when it comes to the principles of leave no trace. For those who have never heard of them, they are seven sets of guidelines created by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics that provide direction to enjoy time[...]
No matter how long we walk our dogs in the parking lot or around the trail head before starting off on a hike, they will inevitably poop just far enough away from the start (and therefore trash can) that it’s exactly too far to pick it up and jog back to toss out. So what do we do? While[...]
Having grown up in Seattle, I always considered it to be quite dog-friendly. However as I had cats, I never knew just how much the Emerald City loved its four-legged friends until I lived there with my own dog as an adult. I was beyond elated to learn that many bars and breweries allowed[...]
This post is sponsored by REI. I have been an REI member most of my life, whether through a family account growing up or with the one Dave and I have now as adults. The majority of the outdoor gear I currently own or have ever owned has come from REI. Their knowledgeable staff, generous[...]
We use the same tent whether we are backpacking, cycle touring, or car camping. And since it’s rare that we do any of these activities without our dogs, we choose tents with a pet-friendly design. Choosing a tent to accommodate your dog is not all that different from buying one for[...]
I never used to be much of one for spring. It’s not that I don’t like to welcome the warmer weather, I think it’s more that it feels like it takes a long time to arrive. The thought of spring makes one think about warm weather and sunshine, but that’s not really the case in the Northwest[...]
We were guests of the Andorra Tourism Board for this fun-filled dog-friendly winter weekend. All opinions remain our own. Andorra. Have you heard of it? It’s the 16th smallest country in the world by landmass and 11 smallest by population. You can drive from one end of the country to the[...]
These adventure dog Instagram accounts will inspire you to get outdoors more often with your pup.
I recently entered a Valentine’s Day Instagram contest hosted by a dog apparel brand that asked entrants to post a photo and tell them what love means to us in the caption. This content posed a bit of a challenge for me, in the context of Laila and love. Before Sora died, I’d[...]
I used to think that dressing dogs in jackets and shoes was silly and unnecessary, however, now that I’ve had dogs for several years, I see the purpose, especially during the winter. While some dogs, like huskies, come with their own built-in insulating layer of fur, others with shorter[...]
We have so many travel dog bowls. I have one permanently attached to my backpack. One that lives in the car. Another that lives in our van. We have a few that we keep in the dogs’ travel bin. Sometimes, I’ll attach one to my purse if we’re out for a long walk in the city on a hot[...]
