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Sucha ↟ Mabel, Gunner & Gideon

@hikingwithmabel

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🌲 Adventuring PNW with my rescue GSDs
🫶🏼 Hikes, road trips, training and farm life
🐾 @loowitpackwalks
📍 @loowitfarms

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I'm overjoyed to share that Gideon has found his forever home 🥳

I couldn't be happier for this amazing boy! We have been to many meet and greets and met several potential adopters for the past 5 months. But, at the end of the day, he already found his forever home 🥹

He's now living happily ever after with 2 GSD siblings Mabel and Gunner. Yep, that's us! I honestly did not plan to have another but Gideon has been such a wonderful pup. He and Gunner are bff. He is respectful of Mabel. He loves training with me. He's so eager to please and do the right things. He balances my pack out and is generally the most calm of the 3 unless it's playtime. Ha!

Thank you so much @truenorthgsd for trusting me with Gunner and now Gideon 🙏🏼 I have learned so much from each of my 3 and I'm beyond grateful to be able to provide them a loving home. Now I need a bigger car 🤣 by @hikingwithmabel

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a year ago

I love this shot of Gunner so much 💙 He looks regal and beautiful. It's simple but yet interesting. There's just the right amount of the sunset glowing behind his head bringing the focus right on this amazing pup.

This shot is like Gunner. He's simple but yet very special and so so smart. The only toy he wants is the old split chuckit ball. He shines brighter every single day because he's with the right family who brings out the best in him ♥️

Hope everyone has a great Friday and fun filled weekend!

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#gsd #germanshepherd #gsdofinstagram #rescuedog #rescuegsd #oregon #liveauthentic #animalinfluence #adventuredognation #visualoflife #thegreatoutdogs #optoutside #adventurepup #travelwithdogs #pnw #dogsthatexplore #liveoutdoors #wanderlust #stayandwander #dogsofinsta #goldenhour #dogphotography #sonyalpha taken in Cannon Beach, Oregon by @hikingwithmabel

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2 years ago

When we were at the lookout waiting for the sun to set, Mabel decided to lay down and glaze gently across the horizon. Whenever I look at the first picture, I wonder what she's thinking. Maybe she's not thinking about anything. She just "be" in the present moment enjoying the time in the mountains she's sharing with me. Something that I still have to remind myself everyday - "just be"

♥️ She's my girl and I love her so much ♥️

🌲 Kelly Butte - September 2020 🌲

#goldenhour #hikingwithdogs #dogsthathike #pnw #pnwlife #rescuedog #germanshepherd #rescuegsd #instadaily #instadog #photogram #buzzfeedanimals #dogphotography #sunset #gsdlife taken in Kelly Butte Fire Lookout by @hikingwithmabel

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2 years ago

A couple months ago, arthritis got the best of my girl, Mabel. It affects almost every joint in her body and her xrays were some of the worst the vets had ever seen. On top of that, she dealt with frequent heartburn and a torn biceps tendon. After consulting with an orthopedic specialist, we decided the best approach for her tendon was to leave it alone. She will limp in her left shoulder when she runs.

I got her a stroller and prepared myself for the possibility that our walks might be limited to a slow 15 minutes a day.

Fast forward 3 months, and I’m beyond excited to share that Mabel’s mobility has improved significantly! We’re back to walking 2–3 miles a day, playing balls, and, of course, bossing the boys around.

Mabel has been raw-fed her entire life. Here are the medications, supplements, and therapies that are currently part of her routine. Some she’s been on for years, while others I’ve added over the past few months that have helped improve her mobility and overall happiness.

✅ Adequan (new)
✅ Galliprant (new)
✅ Fermented goat milk (new) by @solutionspetproducts
✅ Mobility Matrix (new) by @proactivepawsproducts
✅ Vitality Mushroom (new) by @mushroomsfordogs
✅ Heal CBD (new) by @cbddoghealth
✅ Fish oil
✅ Green-lipped mussel
✅ Milk thistle — as liver support
✅ PEMF by @petspemf

Things we tried that didn’t work out.
🚫 Gabapentin
🚫 Acupuncture
🚫 Homotoxicology
🚫 Ozone therapy
🚫 Chinese herbs

Every dog is different, and what works for one may not work for another. The key is patience! Stick with one thing for a few months, take notes and then decide if it makes a positive difference to your pup.

I hope sharing our journey helps you and your senior pup too 🫶🏼 If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comment or DM. I'm happy to answer any questions!

#seniordog #germanshepherd #arthritis #dogarthritis #dogmobility taken in Washington by @hikingwithmabel

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8 days ago

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday ☀️🫶🏼 by @hikingwithmabel

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13 days ago

The greatest joy in my life 💚💙❤️

#heartofthebeast #germanshepherd #rescuedog taken in Mossyrock, Washington by @hikingwithmabel

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20 days ago

We welcomed fall and said goodbye to summer with a visit to one of our favorite local spots!

With the water level low, cool roots and stumps emerged, making it feel like we were discovering a whole new place. It was so fun to explore a familiar spot from a completely different perspective!

I shot several videos while we were there, and I’ll be sharing those in a separate post.

Cheers to Fall 🍂

#dogsofinstagram #dogsthatexplore #explorewashington #gsd #dogphotography taken in Riffe Lake by @hikingwithmabel

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22 days ago

Another food pickup day 🥩 You know what it means when we have empty boxes 🤓

#dogtraining #scentwork #germanshepherd #ballislife #chuckit taken in Seattle, Washington by @hikingwithmabel

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a month ago

Is the juice worth the squeeze? It's the question I've been asking myself a lot since Mabel restarted the acupuncture.

She has become so hypersensitive to the needles. She will snap and scream even before the needles go in. She hastes it. My last straw was the last treatment. The vet was gently touching her paw after the treatment and she snapped and screamed at that gentle touch. I laughed it off but the fact is acupuncture causes a tremendous amount of distress for her.

So, is the juice worth the squeeze? The short answer is NO.
❌ Mabel hates it.
❌ No significant improvement in her mobility or comfort.
❌ 4-5 hour trip every 3-4 weeks
❌ I'm getting burned out.
❌ Acupuncture doesn't give her a good quality of life.

What gives her a good QOL?
✅ Train with me. Looks at her happy face!
✅ 4-5 hour trip to the beach instead
✅ Good nutrition and supplements
✅ Low stress treatments
✅ She's happy which makes me happy 🙂

We will pause this stressful mini-roadtrip for a while and replace it with something fun like a trip to the beach 😎

#qualityoflife #seniordog #acupuncture #arthritis #gsd taken in PNW by @hikingwithmabel

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a month ago

Northwest Trek with My Mabel Girl 🥰💚

Started off her retirement with a senior dog-friendly adventure sniffing the zoo animals! I expected to see more animals so that was a little disappointing. Regardless, I had a wonderful quality time with my girl and she had the bestest time as always.

Mabel's favorite animal? The zoo squirrel 🤣

We clocked in at 2.5 miles and she was done by that time. The trail is paved so it's a bit too much for her joints.

#seniordog #dogfriendlyadventures #onlyinwashington #gsd #rescuedog taken in Northwest Trek Wildlife Park by @hikingwithmabel

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2 months ago

On this day 6 years ago, Mabel summited her first volcano, Mt. Adams. Now 6 years later, I want to announce that she is officially retired from hiking 🥺💚

Before her first volcano summit, we hiked all kinds of elevations and distances together almost every weekend. We clocked hundreds of miles every year. She carried her (my) favorite red backpack, had the best trail manners, and the mountains were our favorite place to be.

When we attempted Mt. Adams, she was strong and led the pack all the way to the summit. Her least favorite part? The windy night at the Lunch Counter.

Later that same year, she summited her second volcano, Mt. St. Helens. This awesome girl summited 2 volcanic mountains during her mountaineering career. Not too bad for a rescue pup who was surrendered to a shelter at 14 months old.

Those mountains gave us so much more than miles and summit pictures. They were my escape from “life” at the time. They were what I looked forward to every weekend. And they gave me some of my favorite memories with her and the life I wanted her to have.

Mabel started showing signs of arthritis at 7 years old, and as we all know, osteoarthritis only progresses. I started taking us on easier, shorter hikes, doing more road trips, continuing to provide her with an appropriate diet, and adding supplements to support her.

Now, we're learning to navigate this next phase of her life together. She will be 11 years old in January.

The goal is no longer the number of miles or elevation gained. The goal is her comfort, contentment and many more of those stoner smiles on her sweetest face.

Retirement doesn't mean the adventures are over. It just means we're learning to find adventure in new ways.

For those of you who started following us because of all the cool hikes we did together, I hope you'll continue to follow us into this next chapter of Mabel's life.

The adventures may look different now, but they're far from over. ❤️💚

“In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” taken in Mt. Adams by @hikingwithmabel

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2 months ago

Berry pickers for hire 🥰

#berrypicking #gsd #dogsofig #farmdog #doglife by @hikingwithmabel

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2 months ago