Our road-trip ready companions, our most trusted confidants, our ever-encouraging “let’s go outside – and get muddy!” buddies, we don’t know where we would be without our wiggly, panting best friends. On location, our animal extras often end up stealing the show! Want to meet some of ours? Check out our gallery here.
Now, it’s YOUR turn to share your critter companions. Tell us below: who’s your best friend, and what do they mean to you? Don’t be shy about sharing pictures!
I have an adorable ragdoll cat who is 12 years old that I fondly call my yoga cat. She knows the different exercise videos that I do & loves to come in to watch. Her favorite though is when I do yoga. She loves to help with stretches & will hop up to add her weight to a stretch or jump up for a table top. She never fails to offer her “support” & adds extra loves & snuggles when we finish.
I currently have four 4 footed bffs. Three feline(Mitcheell, Vegas and Winonah) who follow me around, come when called, even for meds. Right now they are helping me to recuperate from a short hospital stay. When I’m up for more active adventures, my fourth bff, Splash, an Oldenburg/Arabian/Lippizan/Thouroughbred gelding is waiting for me to come and get him for a ride. He is gorgeous, athletic and so much more than I expected when I bought him as an untrained 3 year old. Just going out and hugging him helps some days.
I’d attatch pictures but can’t determine how to get to them.
I have a 4-year-old rescued German Shepherd named Champ. We have had him almost a year. My first GSD died at age 13 in 2010, and it was so devastating that I wasn’t sure I could ever have another one. After losing 2 more dogs and my very beloved 17.5-year-old cat (a very long story in itself) in the meantime, I saw Champ’s picture last spring on a local rescue group’s Facebook page and it spoke to me. I realized he was the GSD I’d been waiting for all along. We adopted him May 1, and it has been a LOT of work to rehabilitate him and break some of the bad habits he had developed in his previous living situations. While it is the hardest thing I’ve ever done (and I’m a multi-marathon finisher and 70.3-distance triathlete), it has been a labor of love. Seeing him change every day and become more comfortable with us and with other people and less anxious about many things has been so worth the effort. Just two weeks ago, for the first time, he laid down next to me when I was sitting on the floor and put his head on my lap. He goes with me on shorter runs (20-30 minutes) and it helps to build his confidence and trust in me, besides working off some energy and anxiety. I know that I was meant to wait so long between GSDs so that I would be ready at the time he needed a family who was willing to turn him into the dog he was meant to be, not an unwanted throwaway. I can’t imagine my life without him now.
I am blessed with many four legged animals as I am a farmer. The ones that are allowed in the house include a big, beautiful yellow Labrador named Doc. He loves going anywhere with me and we have logged many miles on foot and in the truck. He helps lead other dogs, calves, and horses by grabbing ahold of any lead line I have in hand. He will also grab ahold a any persons arm or hand to lead them around to show them what he has been up to all day. Doc’s most favorite thing to do is Goose Hunt! He is four years young.
Our senior most house four legger is Grania at 7 years old. She is loved by many. He favorite thing to do is fetch a kong, which she will do for as long as she can con a thrower! She is a very portible black lab at about 50 pounds. She too has logged many miles in the truck and on foot. She is queen of the couch qh’s the two-legged dwellers are bedded down!
Our youngest and most energetic of the canine crew is Ruby. She is a gorgeous Tri-colored Austrailian Shepherd. She is very loyal and loving. She is also wicked fast! She is just over a year old. We hope to get her doing agility soon. In the meantime she loves rounding up our two month old goat and giving our chickens a lot of grief. She is a smiling fur ball of energy.
We also have a house cat, BooBoo whom is a Manx and actually acts more like a dog. I have had Manx cats since I was 15 and love them dearly. Booboo keeps our bed warm and hairy when we aren’t in it.
Our 4 legged friend is the best trail dog ever. She was a dump dog twice! She was taken in by a sympathetic woman who loved dogs, but Miss Penny was just too much for her older dogs. Full of energy and ready to go! We took her on a trial basis (2 weeks to help the previous owner out while she was ill). She has been hiking, backpacking and curling upon the couch with us in the evenings ever since. Such a sweet thing!
When my husband died from cancer in November 2013, my two best friends, Jessie and JD, our golden retrievers, were there to comfort me. Since then, they have become my walking partners, my yoga partners and my roadtrip co-pilots. They are my line to living life through a most grief-filled time. They are my daily smiles and strength!
What a timely inquiry. Only 3 days ago, on Friday March 27, my 15 year old chocolate lab died. Her name was Sugar, aptly named by my two daughters when we got her, she was that sweet. I could write tomes on what an amazing dog she was, but it still hurts. We have two other dogs also, and we are all missing “Old Mama Sug”. I am grateful for every moment we had with her, she was beyond awesome.
Ash my yellow lab is our families best friend. She runs with her boy, hunts with her man and standup paddles with me. She is gentle, loving and enthusiastic about doing whatever we are doing even if it’s just hanging out at home. I could send a million pictures but this one captures my paddling girl! – Sorry couldn’t get the pic to show from my MAC.
My 6 year old bearded collie is my service dog, my best friend, and my partner in crime…I mean dog sports! Together we do agility, obedience, rally, and nosework. For the last 20 years, I have been holding off on getting a knee replacement waiting for things to get so bad that I just can’t handle it any more. I figure replacing a body part is about as permanent as it gets. My beardies have been my constant companions. They are relentless about physical therapy, getting me out of bed even on the worst days, requiring my presence on walks and at training classes. They have demanded that I get involved in clubs so that I don’t get isolated by my lack of mobility. They travel with me across the country to events and support me during the travel to get there.
Eriskay is the fourth beardie to share my life since the soccer game that ended my career as a soccer player and ice dancer. He is a no holds barred agility dog who loves nothing more than going as fast as possible and taking me along for the ride. Together we are exploring the world of competitive rally and obedience – it’s a little sedate for him but he puts up with it for me. He keeps me on top of my medical issues and makes sure that I’m paying attention to my body. Without him my life would be so much poorer. Every day, I’m grateful that he’s here to be my best friend.
My girl is a Shepard in wolf’s clothing (husky – shepard cross) and is the only one in my family who loves the great outdoors more than me! My always ready hiking companion and crack photographers assistant ( not to mention often my model). Everyone should have the experience to discover the world through an animals eyes!