This is a group shot taken during the Samoyed Club of America 2009 National Specialty pack hike in Indiana. Most of the dogs in this picture are wearing one of our Banzai or Reflector dog packs. Kathy Smith, who participated with her dog Rebel, sent us this great photo and these words:
About 20 dogs and their humans hiked 5.08 miles in Eagle Creek Park, which is part of the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation system. With rugged terrain such as steep hills, stairs when the incline was too steep to hike, a marshy area near Lilly Lake and cool vistas such as a bird sanctuary, there was something interesting to see all along the way.
It was wonderful to hike with both new and old friends, and apparently this day we caught the eye of the local university’s cross country running team. They met in the same parking lot to run the trails we were on with our dogs. They asked many questions about our dogs and their packs, and of course offered to pet each of them on every occasion as we saw them on the trail. “How much can they carry?” “Do you do this often?”, they asked.
It was great having the dogs with packs on the trail, as they provided bottled water on our breaks. Rebel wears his pack at home nearly daily, as I walk him in our neighborhood with his Wolf Pack, but you would never know it by comparing it to the others who had newer models. Rebel’s pack has a lot more hair than it did when it was new, but it still looks and functions just as good as if it were brand new.
One fellow hiker in our group had purchased a backpack made by another company a few years ago, and halfway through the hike, it started to tear. She joked, “I doubt this thing would have lasted this long if I had the full 25% of my largest dog’s body weight in it!” By the end of the hike, a major seam had ripped apart four inches!
I discussed this with another hiker who is also a Wolf Packs customer. She and I both commented about the high quality standards of Wolf Packs and how pleased we are with our purchases. The materials chosen for construction are durable and hold up to canine wear and tear, the craftsmanship and love that goes into each one is absolutely amazing and that’s what sets Wolf Packs so far above any of the others on the market today.
Rebel’s backpack is four years old, and I believe he loves his pack more now than he did when I first purchased it for him. In preparing for today’s hike, Rebel was curious as to what I was doing, but once I grabbed his Wolf Pack, the dog knew the day was going to be a fun one, and he immediately started giving me the “Sammy Smile”! Thanks for all that you do and keep up the great work! We’ll keep “field testing” those packs for you!