The Case For Purebreds As Endurance Athletes

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384 – May, 2024

By Bailey Bremner

Setting off down the trail in the first glimmers of daylight, I watch Prima, my German Shepherd Dog, prancing ahead of me, full of energy and vigor. She runs along, searching for exciting smells or the odd cow pie to munch. Her companion, Skittles the Border Terrier, runs beside her, occasionally rolling on the ground. This scene in and of itself may not seem unique unless you consider that they are both ten years old and have hiked nearly 2,400 miles over the last five months to get here.

Over the last four years, they have each wracked up somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,000 backpacking miles, most of which they completed on long-distance hikes. They have persevered through conditions ranging from 15 to 90 degrees, leaping over swaths of blown-down trees and walking along busy two-lane highways. Likewise, traversing snow fields, walking across landscapes covered in cactus, and hiking anywhere from 15 to 30 miles daily, day after day, they have indeed demonstrated that they are endurance athletes.

However, Prima and Skittles are not unique. While they have walked more miles than all but the most elite dogs, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other capable dogs, only that they have an owner willing to work to get them there. Over time, I have realized that there are a few factors that have impacted their success: slowly building up and keeping them in shape, preventative veterinary care, and the hard work that their breeders have put into producing structurally, genetically, and behaviorally sound dogs.

Click here to read the complete article
384 – May, 2024

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