Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Well, we think it's safe to say that winter has officially arrived. The temperatures have begun dropping, the sun sets earlier and mother nature delivered a fresh batch of fluffy powder at the foot of our headquarters in Nederland, Colorado.

Sure, we love winter and all of the skiing and snowshoeing that comes with it, but there's always an aura of loss as the days get shorter and extra layers are required outdoors. Our Berners, on the other hand, couldn't be happier.

Of course, they love hiking, camping and all other fun, summer activities. When it comes to winter, however, our Peakwagger clan couldn't be more in their element, prancing around in a foot-or-so of snow. I guess there's no surprise there, since they are Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Weiner Dogs Review Our Food!

Out of all of the things we love, our dogs are right there at the top. Heck, we wouldn't have started Peakwaggers if it wasn't for our large, active Berner clan. But right after our furry friends, coming in at a close second, is feedback and criticism. We constantly strive for improvement!

Saying that, we'd like to thank AdventureJess at youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com (love the name, by the way), for taking the time to trek with her pooches, Chester and Gretel, and put our trail food to the test. You can check out the full review here.

Although we received raving reviews on flavor and taste, according to her dogs, we received mixed reviews in a few other categories, such as the time it takes to rehydrate the food (about 10-15 minutes, depending on the water's temperature), as well as the size of dog that one meal package can feed (between 60lbs - 110lbs, based on the size of our product testers - the Berner clan).

Lastly, we would like to apologize to AdventureJess for making it seem as if we did not take her feedback seriously pertaining to making smaller meal packages for small hiking dogs. We'd love to offer different sizes in the future, but are unable to do that for the time being.

Either way, we truly appreciate the feedback that we received and love that those weiner dogs devoured Mountain Mutt's Sweet Potato Pie. Thanks again for the review!

More to the Story than We Thought!

We received a ton of photos over the three months that we held the "Is Your Dog a Peakwagger?" contest. Although each one told a very compelling story (a picture truly is worth 1,000 words), the winner's photos were the only ones that we actually delved into. And over this last week, we learned that the second winner to the contest - Tripawds (pictured above) - had one hell of a tale.

When we originally published the story, we only had the photo to go on, due to difficulties getting in touch with the dog's owner. After finally making contact, however, we were sent an email full of the life story of Guthrie (the dog's actual name).

After being hit by a car on an Orlando, FL freeway, having a leg amputated and being given a 50% chance of survival, Guthrie was adopted by the Rich family. Funny enough, Amanda Pants Rich (who submitted the winning photo) claims that she learned of Guthrie's case from a friend who had witnessed the car accident and had posted photos of the dog on Facebook, trying to help him find a home. Since recovering, Guthrie has proven that three legs work just as well as four, conquering mountains, hiking trails and going for the occasional swim.

Thanks again to the Rich family for the submission (the photo was taken at St. George Park in Florida), and happy trails to Guthrie, a.k.a. Tripawds, who proves that any dog can be a true Peakwagger!

The Third and Final Winner is: Keegan!

Well, the last month of the "Is Your Dog a Peakwagger?" contest has come and gone, and although we've seen tons of photos of your pooches in action, conquering peaks and playing in the outdoors, there can only be one winner. Drum roll please.

The third and final winner of our contest is: Keegan!

This awesome photo of the Border Collie/Shetland Sheep dog was taken by Dale Smith, Keegan's owner, in Mark Twain National Forest. Turns out mother nature added an extra extreme factor to the duo's backpacking trip, leaving them with 13 inches of snow to trek through.

As a true peakwagger, 10-year-old Keegan simply loves the outdoors. In fact, Keegan was one of the first pooches to test our products in the field, giving our meals two paws up. Congratulations Keegan!

Lastly, a big congrats to Jeanne Garcia and her dog, Bear. You are this month's runner up and will receive some of our jerky snacks. Seems we like photos of diving dogs as much as mountain climbing dogs. Who knew?