Call of the Mountain Dog: Built to Climb
A personal and heartwarming newsletter from Michael, part of the Happy Tails team.
I grew up around mountain dogs. A sensitive kid, watching the way these animals moved through the world, attentive, confident, unbothered by rough terrain or extreme weather. They’re residents of the land.
Whether bred for it or not, some dogs just understand elevation, and just like us, feel the call to climb. Their posture, footing, and movement change, becoming graceful and intentional. Their sense of purpose deepens. They stop to survey a lookout, ears twitching in the breeze, body alert not to command, but to the rhythm of the natural world, home in the valley below getting further and further away.
I’m visiting my hometown of Fernie, BC, a small mountain town nestled deep in the Rockies. Out here, the dogs are different. They ride in the backs of pickups, leap into the glacier-fed Elk River, nap in the shade of ski shacks and log piles. You’ll spot them on switchbacks, paws toughened by trail stone, resting for a moment before carrying on. There’s something wilder about them of course, something in their gaze or gait that makes the link to coyotes and wolves feel closer, less abstract. And these wilder mountain dogs are just as much a part of our families and community as dogs anywhere else.
Growing up in Fernie meant being surrounded by dogs who were part worker, part wanderer. They belonged everywhere, free to dip into the woods or visit the neighbours. Some herded cattle or ran alongside snowmobiles, while others just tagged along on daylong hikes or overnight fishing trips. One of my first dogs, Chugach (pictured above), named after the mountain range in Alaska, used to pull me around the block when I was a little kid sitting on a skateboard or a sled. Fernie dogs were lean, practical, trustworthy, independent, and incredibly intuitive. They were tuned into the lifestyle.
Dogs evolved alongside humans not just socially, but physically, developing muscles, lung capacity, and even paw structure suited to different terrains. Working breeds like Bernese Mountain Dogs, Anatolian Shepherds, and even hardy mixed breeds carry genetic memories of high altitudes, hauling heavy loads, and traversing long distances. But it’s not just about breed. Even the softest city dog can surprise you in the mountains. A buried instinct gets triggered, the curiosity, the resilience, the confidence. They pick up information in the wind that we don’t have access to. And it’s not about conquering the mountain. It’s about being part of it.
I learned early that dogs didn’t always need constant supervision. They needed purpose. They needed trust. And they needed space to be dogs in the great outdoors.
It’s a life lesson that’s shaped how I see pet care to this day. It’s a big part of why I love the vibe at Happy Tails, and why I’m so grateful to work somewhere that offers dogs a (slightly less steep) version of that lifestyle. At Happy Tails Pet Resort, we often talk about freedom and stimulation, the ways dogs thrive when given 24/7 access to nature. But it goes deeper than just exercise. Dogs, like people, are deeply responsive to environment. Their instincts can be shaped by it. What we see with mountain dogs is an animal in harmony with terrain: problem-solving, self-regulating, tapping into an internal compass that suburban life often suppresses. You can see that same instinct come alive with us in Muskoka too, where the dogs quickly settle into the rhythm of the land like they’ve always belonged there.
That’s the feeling we try to honour at Happy Tails. It’s not just a space for dogs to run, but a space that speaks to something in them, a place where they belong. Not every dog will grow up in a place like Fernie or Muskoka. But every dog deserves a chance to tap into that part of themselves, the wild and free part.
If you’ve got a dog with a mountain heart, or even a couch pup who deserves a bit of wildness, we’ll be here, rain or shine, with the fields, the forests, and the freedom to explore.
Much love,
Michael, from the Happy Tails Team
In memory of my beloved mountain pup.