Welcome
We are thrilled to have you come along on our adventures with us! Riley was a miniature Australian Shepherd who loved to adventure alongside his people. He had been with us since 2007 and was 14 at the time this blog was created. We said goodbye to our dear boy when he was 15.5 years old in October 2022. He continued to play the lead in our adventures and was always ready for new experiences right up to the end – though he was often nervous about them. We hope you will find our stories and experiences interesting, motivating, comforting, and enticing to try.
Image: Serena and Riley, taken September 4, 2021 at Shuswap Lake, BC, Canada
How it all started…
When I first started working with this puppy he was 12 weeks old. He was a brilliant 12 weeks and had completed all the basics (sit, stay, come, recalls, heels, wait, off, down) by 3 months. We enrolled him in Agility when he was 10 months old and he soared over those hurdles! This was a pup that loved to work and truly enjoyed it. Agility was sadly shortly lived as he struggled with running around with the other dogs. He had a few early run ins with some aggressive dogs that had resulted in fear aggression being quite prevalent in high activity situations. So we moved on from agility and into human/puppy relationships and adventures.
Adventures began early. We camped, we hiked, we ran, we played, we went out in the boat and through the woods for days at a time. We would go car camp for the weekend and were fortunate to be able to see a lot of the lower half of British Columbia. Riley has had many adventures over the years and still enjoys going for the adventures. As our fur-babies age though, there are other factors we have to consider. He can’t run and hike all day anymore so we chose hikes that fit his limits or make arrangements for him to be cared for while we go. Well, I’m not keen on leaving him behind very often, so we also make arrangements to support him during the hikes so he can come along too!
A little about me….
I’m a bit of a gadget queen (or so I am told). If they make it for the dog, the car, or the outdoors – I likely have it or something like it. My husband thinks I go overboard in my preparedness for outings and adventures but I don’t believe in leaving something to chance if there is a solution available and feasible. This means I have a first aid kit that rivals a medic’s for the outdoors. It means I have all the essential safety items and the majority of them are multi-purposeful to cut back on bulk and weight.
I’m a reader and a learner. I love the outdoors and the splendor that you see when you get away from the city for a few hours. Escaping to the woods is where I find my center after a hard week at work. It is were peace finds me and where I connect the most with the world around me.
I am also a holiday lover and drag as many people (and dogs) along with my into my Holi-crazy. Riley gets Halloween costumes and Christmas sweaters/shirts every year. And we love it! You’ll find side notes into our geek-dom in the Fun Stuff section of this site.
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ASR Adventures 