The DOGPAK Blog

It is necessary to properly assess whether it is ok for your dog to wear a backpack and how much weight they can safely carry. In this article, we outline a few important considerations to consult with your veterinarian about.

Dog backpacks offer a range of utility both in and out of the backcountry. Working dogs, service dogs, military, law enforcement, and rescue dogs, and even farm dogs frequently wear backpacks that allow them to transport the supplies needed to do their jobs or to help their human counterparts do theirs. The applications of use vary widely and the list seems to be growing each year. Some common uses for a dog backpack are to carry medicine and medical supplies, camping equipment, snacks and food, extra water, clean-up bags, a leash, a light, and maybe a coat or blanket. Some inventive new uses I have seen lately include scattering seeds across a freshly harrowed farm field or to regenerate forest growth after a wild fire, and using as a pillow to cushion a fall and prevent injury for someone who might have an epileptic episode.

Within 4 months, Thunder was virtually indistinguishable from pre-surgery. Now he runs and plays and spins in circles like he used to when he was a little puppy, despite him turning 12 this month! It makes me so happy to see him back to his normal shenanigans. We go on long hikes again through the Swiss Alps, and only at the end of a long day do you notice a cheeky little wobble in his back hips as he still favors his stronger leg. The surgery might have set us back a little, but you can’t put a price on Thunder’s joy and ability to play outside. He’s a mountain dog after all, and it warms my heart to know he is back playing in those mountains he loves.

Some of my favorite memories with Thunder come from our myriad adventures together. Hiking volcanoes in Nicaragua, camping in the Alps, training mustangs in the Teton Wilderness in Wyoming, packing mules through bear country in the Sierras, old cowboy ranches spanning 40,000 acres in Arizona, hidden ruins in the Huayhuash mountains of Peru. The best memories I have with Thunder are of our many epic adventures together. They come from traveling and exploring the great outdoors.

Fortune favors the bold as long as the bold is properly prepared so here are a few less common commands that I have taught my pup. They have proved invaluable over the course of our 12 years hiking and backpacking the back country together in nearly every kind of climate around the globe.

These are the moments that Thunder has gifted to me. It is impossible to quantify the positive impact Thunder has had on my life, but one thing is certain: I smile much more often than I otherwise would. 

I have gone through this process a few times now, bringing Thunder with me into France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and Italy via plane. While the process might be slightly different for each country, bringing a dog into most places in Europe from the US is relatively straight forward.