When You Raise Another Species, Rather than Train Them, They are a Friend, Not a Pet

The Buffalo National Grasslands in South Dakota runs right up to the edge of the Badlands National Park. Here Nietzsche is watching a storm pass off in the distance. Either that or he's scoping for squirrels. He's experienced more than many humans have.

Here we are boondocking at The Burning Coal Vein in North Dakota. The views are amazing, so Nietzsche goes Zen and takes it all in. Later that night we saw a couple coyotes trying to take down a deer right where Nietzsche is looking.

Here at the Mex-i-mine falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Nietzsche and his roommate Lucy flirt with the rapids that would take them for an unpleasant ride if they slipped in. Good thing they were raised well and have that real world experience.

Nietzsche found the perfect campsite for us while hiking the Indian Pointe trail near the Garden of the Gods in Southeastern Illinois. You can't tell from this vantage point, because of the trees, but the views were amazing.

Let me introduce you to my best friend Nietzsche(neechee). He's a 13 year old Doberman/small terrier mix. His terrier genes are dominant, because he cannot resist chasing small game, but there's enough Dobie in him that he's not a good swimmer. Doberman's have squared paws that makes swimming a chore, though they can swim, they just tire quickly, because those paws don't propel them forward very well. He loves the water though.

I first met Nietzsche while grieving the death of my first canine friend due to a car accident. He was three months old and his mother had a miracle litter. She was spayed before being adopted from the shelter and shouldn't have been able to become pregnant and when I saw him, he stuck out from his siblings being the only one with tan markings.

He's now 13 years old and is with me 24/7. He's had a long and mostly healthy life traveling America with me and has experienced so much more than the average human does in their lifetime. We've lived in 9 U.S. states, living in all the environments from desert to mountains to prairie to the coastlines. We've lived on the road for months at a time boondocking as we went have been avid backpackers summitting many o' mountain peak.

I've spent the time to teach him the ways of the world, so he doesn't need to be leashed up like a pet. This was by design and when he turned three years and showed me he knew his boundaries the collar came off and he hasn't wore one since. Of course I only choose places to let him run where this won't be an issue, but he gets to run free wherever we go. He understands what I've done for him too and shows me respect and trust because of it.

Old age is catching up to him though and his hiking days are pretty much over. While we still travel and he runs free, his joints are a bit rough and a quarter mile is his limit these days. His enthusiasm for life remains and he still hops around like a puppy when it's bedtime snack time, lol.

So, now he's on quite a few supplements to help him manage his chronic and they work pretty well. We've tried pharmaceuticals, but the side effects weren't desirable so we use human grade white willow bark, hyaluronic acid, hemp joint supplements, a few other beneficial natural products and 100mg of ibuprofen. While some will scoff at that last one, it works and hasn't caused any side effects to date.

I've always used 33mg of ibuprofen when he injured a paw here and there, with my first pup as well, but two years ago he went a daily regiment where he gets 100mg twice a day. I took him off for a month to give his liver a break, but in the end, in spite of all the supplements I give him, ibuprofen is the most effective.
He weighs around 70 pounds and is a medium sized dog, so still being mostly healthy at the ripe old age of 13 is pretty good. I look forward to many more years of friendship with Nietzsche and hope he's still healthy when he's 17 years old.