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Salty Paws | Alaska Adventure Dogs | Sage & Chena

@saltypawsak

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🏔️Chasing trails, tides & treats across
📍 Alaska
⚓️ Follow us for more adventure & treat inspiration to improve your pups life.
🌊 @unearthing.the.wild

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🐾 Meet the Salty Paws Crew! 🐾

Chena & Sage are two adventurous Australian Shepherds exploring the wilds of Alaska by land and sea. As the official mascots of Salty Paws, they’re always on the lookout for whales, waves, and good snacks. Whether cruising the fjords or hiking coastal trails, these pups are all about salty fur, muddy paws, and living that wild Alaskan life.

Follow along for behind-the-scenes boat days, wildlife encounters, and all the tail-wagging fun.

#AdventureDogsOfAlaska #SaltyPaws #DogsofInstagram #VisitSeward #SewardAk #Alaska #KenaiFjordsNationalPark #ResurrectionBay taken in Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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a year ago

One of our best friends having a PAWSITIVE experience! 🐾

How long do humpback whale moms stay with their calves?

About a year — or as long as it takes to teach them whale stuff:
🍼 How to nurse
🌊 How to swim like a pro
🗺️ How to migrate thousands of miles without a GPS
🐋 And how to breach dramatically, because style matters

Mama humpbacks are basically ocean homeschool moms with flippers. Once the calf can feed and fend for itself, it’s time for independence… but until then, it’s milk, cuddles, and whale school 24/7.

Humpback whales are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. They were not harassed, fed, pursued, approached, or enticed.

#alaska #kenaifjordsnationalpark #saltypaws #unearthingthewild #sewardalaska #humpbackwhale #whales #bubblenetfeeding #whalewatching #visitseward #seward #sharingalaska #travelalaska #resurrectionbay #cetacean #alaskastartshere taken in Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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a year ago

When a glacier calved, the ice thundered… and our dog growled right back!

What looks like chaos is actually part of a glacier’s natural rhythm. These frozen rivers creep downhill and, when they meet the ocean, their edges break into icebergs. That crash? It fuels entire ecosystems—feeding plankton, supporting salmon, sustaining seals, whales, and seabirds. 🌊🐋

Glaciers are more than scenery. They’re water reservoirs, climate regulators, and lifelines for wildlife and people. Protecting them means protecting everything they support.

#alaska #unearthingthewild #resurrectionbay #visitseward #sewardalaska #travel #dogsofinstagram #saltypawe #glacier @calving #icebergs taken in Resurrection Bay - Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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a year ago

We didn’t realize how scared they were.

In June 2025, we witnessed something heartbreaking & one of the most inspiring displays of humanity we’ve ever seen.

Traveling Alaska’s Seward Highway, we came upon a devastating collision between an RV & a car. Someone was trapped inside and no one was there.

As smoke turned to flames, strangers became a team. Alaskans and tourists with different skills, worked together to free the driver, gather fire extinguishers, and provide care until first responders arrived.

In minutes, smoke became an intense fire.

No one asked where anyone was from. They stepped forward to give another human being every possible chance.

But there’s another part of this story we didn’t understand until later.

While we helped, Sage & Chena waited in our vehicle NEARBY as explosions echoed.

When I returned, Chena was cowering in the passenger floorboard.

Sage was missing.

My ❤️ dropped. A good samaritan had moved the vehicle. Did she get out?!

“Chena, where’s Sage?”

Then I saw them. Huddled together in the floorboard, Chena on top of Sage.

My heart broke. 💔

Afterward, everything seemed normal.

Until we went boating again.

Before the accident, both girls comfortably cruised Resurrection Bay, lounging on seats & enjoying the ride.

Now, when we’re underway, Chena retreats to our feet while Sage becomes unusually excited & seemingly anxious.

But when we’re stationary, fishing, watching wildlife, or enjoying the scenery? They’re PERFECTLY content.

Could the explosions have created a negative association with engine noise or movement? We don’t know.

But we’re listening.

Dog Mom spends more time outside with Chena when conditions allow, while Sage moves between Dog Dad at the bow & Dog Mom on deck.

We’re learning to adapt to their needs.

Just because our dogs can’t tell us what’s wrong doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to communicate.

Sometimes the most important part of adventuring with our dogs isn’t where we take them. It’s recognizing how they experience the journey.

Have your dogs ever developed a new fear after a frightening experience? What helped them regain confidence?

We’d love to learn from you.

#SaltyPaws #Alaska taken in Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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2 days ago

WHERE THE PAWS TOOK US 🐾

Sometimes the best hikes aren’t the biggest or hardest, they’re the ones where you find a quiet stretch of Alaska and get to enjoy it almost entirely to yourselves.

This one delivered.

It was a relatively quick, easy hike with convenient parking and plenty of room for Sage + Chena to explore. For us, the biggest win was how quiet it was. On a Sunday afternoon, we encountered virtually no one.

Once we reached the creek, it was just the sound of moving water, the breeze through the trees, and two very happy dogs. No traffic. No bugs. No rush to be anywhere else.

A few things to know before you go: the final quarter mile was quite overgrown when we visited, with abundant berry bushes. In Alaska, that means our bear awareness goes up considerably. We didn’t see any bears or signs of them during our hike, but we stayed alert and prepared. The terrain may also be challenging for someone with mobility limitations.

🥾 Difficulty: Easy
🐾 Dog-friendly: Yes
🚗 Parking: Easy
🧍‍♂️ Crowds: Very light during our visit
🦟 Bugs: None during our visit
⚠️ Heads-up: Overgrown final ¼ mile + berry bushes

Worth the Wag? Sage + Chena say absolutely.

Save this for your next adventure and follow to see where the paws go next.

#SaltyPaws #DogFriendlyHike #UnearthingtheWild taken in Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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6 days ago

At some point, we apparently decided that eating bananas like regular dogs was beneath them.

So here we are… Dog Mom spoon-feeding bananas to Sage + Chena.

No special occasion.
No medical necessity.
Just two girls receiving the level of service they have come to expect. 😂

And judging by how willingly they participated, neither one sees anything unusual about this arrangement.

Are they spoiled? Maybe.

Will we stop? Absolutely not.

Be honest: what’s the most ridiculous thing you do for your dog that feels completely normal at this point?
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#SaltyPaws #Dogs #aussies taken in Alaska by @saltypawsak

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9 days ago

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15 days ago

Some invitations change more than your plans for the day.

They take you somewhere wild enough to make the rest of the world go quiet.

Out here, you don’t know what will surface, what will appear along the shoreline, or what moment will become the one you remember years from now.

You just have to say yes to going.

And you may just encounter a pod of orcas.

Consider this your invitation into the wild. Something new is coming to Seward, Alaska.

Follow along as we get ready to share it.

#SaltyPaws #WhaleWatching #UnearthingtheWild taken in Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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17 days ago

Sage has basically trained us to follow her around.

Somewhere along the way, we realized just how well she understands the question:

“What do you want? Show us.”

And she does.

If she needs to go outside, she’ll whine. We ask what she wants, and she leads us to the door.

If she wants a treat? Same routine—except we’re escorted directly to the treat counter.

If she’s ready for bed, she’ll tell us and then lead us straight to the bedroom.

She doesn’t just react to individual words. She’s figured out that when we ask her to show us, she can communicate what she wants by taking us to it.

Which brings us to this particular evening of car camping. 😂

Apparently Sage had decided she’d had enough outdoor time and was ready to retire to her accommodations.

Except her “bedroom” was currently the back of our vehicle.

So naturally, she walked over to it, looked at us and added the tiny impatient foot stomps for emphasis.

“Excuse me. Bedroom. Now.” 🐾😂

Message received.

It’s these little interactions that impress us most about her. She’s observant, deliberate, incredibly communicative and somehow she’s managed to develop her own little language with us.

She’s the smartest girl. 🤍

Does your dog have a specific way of telling you exactly what they want? 👇

#SaltyPaws #CampingwithDogs #Alaska taken in Denali Highway by @saltypawsak

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20 days ago

Which one is your dog most like?

Our dogs enjoying nature in their own unique ways…

Sage: Observe quietly from the shrubbery.

Chena: USE THE ENTIRE FOREST AS AN OBSTACLE COURSE.

There is no middle setting.

Follow for more Sage + Chena. taken in Alaska by @saltypawsak

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24 days ago

WHERE THE PAWS TOOK US | Denali Highway

Some places we visit for what there is to see. Others we return to because of how they make us AND our dogs feel.

The Denali Highway is one of those places.

Fall is one of our favorite times to go. The traffic thins, the landscape changes, temperatures drop, and there are stretches where it feels like it’s just you, the dogs, and miles of Alaska.

That solitude matters to us for another reason, too.

Chena is a little less interested in crowds. Give her open space, fewer people and dogs, and room to explore, and she’s in her element. And when she’s more comfortable, we’re more relaxed as dog parents, too.

So we spent the day doing what we all love: driving dirt roads, stopping whenever something caught our attention, wandering along rivers, exploring the forest, and letting the girls sniff their way through another corner of Alaska.

For Chena, it meant something particularly valuable: space to explore and simply be a dog.

When the light disappeared, the back of the vehicle became home. Custom-cut foam pads, a comforter, all the layers we could pile on, and Sage and Chena tucked in with us for the night.

By morning, Alaska had added the finishing touch: a fresh dusting of snow. ❄️

The Denali Highway is remote, and fall conditions deserve respect. Expect rough sections and potholes, prepare for rapidly changing weather, and remember that as winter takes hold, sections can become impassable to conventional vehicles. Cell service isn’t something we count on out there, either, so our @garmin inReach is one piece of equipment we don’t leave home without.

Maybe that’s exactly why we love it.

Fewer crowds.
More space.
Happy dogs.
A little snow.
And nowhere we need to be but right there.

Save this for your next adventure and follow to see where the paws go next.

#SaltyPaws #Alaska #WherethePawsTookUs taken in Denali Highway by @saltypawsak

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24 days ago

The instincts are there. The talent is… still developing.

Sage spent a solid amount of time very seriously trying to catch a goldfish.

The goldfish remained completely unbothered.

And because everything looks more impressive in slow motion, we present: Sage, apex predator. 🐾

No fish were caught.
No dignity was lost.
Because you have to have dignity to lose it.

🐟 Goldfish: 1
🐾 Sage: 0
🏆 Entertainment value: 10/10

Follow @SaltyPawsAK for more adventures featuring two dogs with wildly different skill sets.

Anyone else have a dog who is very confident in a skill they absolutely do not possess? 😂

And before you come for us… this is not something the girls eat in abundance or often.

#SaltyPaws #BorderCollie #AustralianShepherd taken in Seward, Alaska by @saltypawsak

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a month ago