Brix Hikes with the Dogs

Hi all, we hope you are happy and healthy out there!

The last four days have been a bit of a blur, but they were super rewarding.

Let’s get into the stories of the week.

Bernoulli was finally free of his cone, and that meant both he and Beaker were back at it again. Beaks got a girls’ day out to dock dive solo, and then the goober joined her.

This was Bernoulli’s first time back dock diving at Prairie Dog Sports (they have amazing facilities), and he immediately wanted to jump off the docks, not do any of this going off the side of the ramp business.

Beaker was super thrilled to just swim and retrieve. As we mentioned, she just doesn’t want to jump off the dock, and that’s ok. There are few places close to us for the dogs to swim, and while we could drive to a lake, this diving dock is still closer than anything else.

A new development occurred where Bernoulli figured out how to open his mouth wide enough to retrieve both balls at the same time. In the short distance, Bernoulli is faster than Beaker (he is twice her size and wicked powerful), so he can outsprint her to the balls. This didn’t last long, as he quickly tired and was outswum by aquatic Beaker, who we have actually never seen get tired swimming. Honestly, she has swum in the mountains for about an hour straight without skipping a beat.

It also is a very gratifying feeling when the thing you developed suddenly becomes this real thing in your hands. This applies to so many things—the creation of something that didn’t exist before—but for the Mooseleg Toy, it’s pretty special.

For years folks asked if we could develop a mooseleg toy to go with the Bunsen stuffie or perhaps just a toy for a dog, and company after company either laughed at our idea, flatly said no, or ignored us. We then found a company called PrideBites (which I saw on a TikTok clip from Shark Tank!) and they have been amazing to work with. In fact, we are hopeful to develop a whole range of dog and cat science-themed toys over the next couple of years!

The Mooseleg Toy looks even better than the mock-up, and it has Bunsen, Beaker, and Bernoulli’s stamp of approval! They all gleefully play with it. Kris and I JUST finished all of the presale packing, which was hundreds and hundreds of orders, and with the dust clearing we only have 18% stock left. The presale campaign and the support from our fans has been amazing. Thank you all!

Link to them here.

Adam came down this week to help us with the animals in the mountains. We usually do a couple of trips in the summer and use the opportunity to take some footage for our calendar. Having Adam REALLY helps when you have three dogs and a cat. Yes, a cat. Brix came with us.

We only did a short hike, as we didn’t want to push Bunsen too hard. It’s a LONG drive for him to the mountains (about 2.5 hours), and we have found that he gets stiff in the car.

Bunsen actually did AMAZING on the hike, even better than Bernoulli, who was wilting a bit, though the next day the old guy was pretty stiff in the morning.

I think if we do it again we need a home base, like a hotel, to give Bunsen a rest after the hike so he can do a second one later and so that the drive in and out isn’t back to back. Kris was super emotional when we got to the bluff we have been going to for nine years, as she didn’t know if Bunsen would be back ever again. Bunsen loves walking, but I agree, when he is 10 I’m not sure it would be fair to have him take that super long car ride. That being said, Bunsen is a tough dog. It’s still super tough to see him age.

Now here are a couple of fun stories from the hike.

As we neared the bluff, which is a really pretty lookout point over the Rockies, a ton of people started to gather. It’s a great place to have lunch, take a water break, or, for folks like us who aren’t planning on going deeper into the canyon, the turnback point.

A ton of people were thrilled to see the dogs, but Brix in the backpack stole the show. They couldn’t believe that we had a cat. A family with a bunch of teens and pre-teens gushed over him, and Brix, being the friendly guy he is, stuck his whole body out of the backpack to get his scratches and pats. Super adorable. I wish I had taken some videos, but again, you shouldn’t be randomly videoing kids for social media stuff.

Anyway, the kids started to speak French to Brix and each other. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but our secret weapon is Adam. Adam is fluent in French because we put him in French Immersion from K through 12. Kris speaks a ton of French too, but Adam is totally bilingual. He has been our spy, allowing us to figure out what French speakers are saying. He loves to listen to them, see if they are saying anything about us (99% of the time they are just having normal family conversations), and then jump in with his perfect French if they are. It’s always hilarious.

The kids were all talking about how, while they loved the dogs, the cat was their favourite. They talked about how cute and friendly he was, how soft he is, and that if we weren’t looking they were going to steal him and take him home with them. Adam laughed and said in French, “Nous avons un AirTag sur son collier pour pouvoir le localiser,” which means something along the lines of, “We have an AirTag on his collar, so we could easily track you.” Anyway—good job, Adam.

Then the BEST part of the entire hike was on the way out. Brix was YELLING in the backpack. Kris thought he was in pain or hurt, so she took him out. He was totally fine. Brix was then super squirmy, and she was like, “What the heck? Let’s put you down.” He was SO happy to walk around. We then said, “Well, let’s see if he hikes with us…” and he DID.

Not just for a few steps. He hiked the ENTIRE way back to the trailhead. He followed the dogs like he was on a MISSION. It was adorable and hilarious. He also shoved his way to the front a couple of times to lead the pack.

The smiles and comments we got as we zoomed past hikers going in were priceless. Everyone was like, “Oh, I love your dogs,” then they would see Brix just booking it, and they were stunned.

“Oh my god. They have a cat.”

“That cat is walking with them.”

“Was that a cat?”

THE BEST part was right near the end. The dogs pulled ahead a bit, and I looked back to see Kris with Brix parked right in the middle of the trail. Brix looked like he was blocking the path and staring down this family. I was stunned. What is happening?

Then I heard Kris say sheepishly, “I’m so sorry, I can’t move him. He’s peeing.”

Brix had decided to have the world’s longest and largest pee for what felt like a minute. The parents were laughing, and the kids were dumbfounded. I’m sure that family will have a story to tell. Can you imagine? You want to start your hike and a cat on a leash is peeing in the middle of the path.

We finished the hike with some fun time at the alpine lake at the start. Bernoulli and Beaker got some swimming in, and Bunsen drank down the cool water. Brix watched the dogs like they were crazy, but he does that most of the time.

We drove Adam up to Edmonton on Friday, which allowed us to take all of the Mooseleg orders we had done directly to a depot, spend more time with him on the way, and then take a pit stop at Marla’s house.

On the way, quite shockingly, the window beside Adam exploded.

We have no idea if a rock or bolt got chucked into it from a semi-truck beside us or if it just structurally failed, but it literally exploded. We couldn’t believe it.

Luckily Adam was totally ok, even though he got covered in glass.

We were almost in Edmonton, so we peeled off as quickly as we could into a nearby strip mall that had a dollar store. I ran in and got tape, cardboard, and scissors, and we patched up the shattered window as best we could.

We dropped Adam off, and Bernoulli KNEW this was a goodbye. He was so sad, which was kinda heartbreaking. That sadness was short-lived, as we stopped in to see Chesnyy and Kenji. Bernoulli always loves it there, and the Rotties love to see him. Marla is always so inviting, and Kris loves catching up with her (and getting some training tips in the process).

We did drop off a couple of Mooselegs—the first ones in the world to be delivered—and the Rotties loved them!

Kris and I will be taking a very special holiday at the end of next week, so it is likely the newsletter may be shorter or not delivered at all. We are heading to Nova Scotia for a while, one of our gorgeous Maritime provinces. The dogs will be staying at Waggles while we are gone, and a teacher friend will be watching Brix.

I am always filled with melancholy as holidays like this approach. While I am excited to go, as I’ve never been farther east in Canada than Manitoba and so many wonderful people I’ve met are from or live on the East Coast, I will miss the farm, the dogs, and my cat. Our trip to the mountains showed that there are advantages to travelling without a gaggle of pets and that there are things you can do that would be difficult or impossible if they were to tag along. However, there are things that you DO while on vacation that I know I would love even more with the animals there.

It was a ton of work getting all four pets to the mountains. We had to plan for Bunsen’s age and comfort. They all needed proper seatbelt systems. We needed food and water and snacks for them. When we walked, our hands were full with leashes. However, that hike would have felt empty without them.

I know the experiences and places we shall go will make memories for my life, and memories are the most important thing you have once you have food and shelter. I am just deeply bonded to those animals and my quiet slice of Canada I am blessed to live in.

We shall share stories and photos, but Kris is expecting me to be on the holiday, not write newsletters at night, so this is a pause for now.

Talk later.