Dawgs

In Ecuador, we have met a great variety of dogs.  The first dog we met was named Skippy.  He belonged to the owners of the house where we stayed in Mindo.  He was some kind of poodle mix and very friendly.  All he did all day was follow whomever was outside around. Sometimes he’d walk into town, other times he’d just wander aimlessly.

Skippy

Champy was the next dog we met.  We met him on our four-day bike tour with our guide, Alberto.  Champy was super active.  He knew every trick and could answer commands in three different languages, Spanish, English and Portuguese.   He was also very friendly and open to new people.  My favorite thing to do with him was probably playing fetch. He was also very protective.  If any dog came close to us he would growl, and since he was so strong, the other dogs would back away.  The only bad thing was that he shed a lot and got hair everywhere.  By the end of the trip, I had hair all over my bags because he was sitting on top of them. 

Champy 

Another dog we met was named Whymper.  He lives in a small hostel at the foot of Chimborazo.  He belongs to one of the most famous mountaineers around there.  He’s a very active dog and also very friendly.  When we first arrived at the hotel, he ran out to greet us.  He stayed with us for most of the day.  He even climbed up a small mountain with us.  He was very loyal and waited for us while we were climbing.  The second day we were staying there, we woke up and he was right outside our door.  We started scratching him and then left for breakfast.  After that, we went on another hike. This one was very long.  Whymper stayed with us the whole way.  Even when I went off trail, he followed me and when I slipped and fell down, he came over to help.

Me and Whymper on the trail

Whymper looking down on the Estrella de Chimborazo, our hostel

The final dog we met was named Lucas.  He lives in Baños, a small town near the mountains of Ecuador.  He was very friendly and even if you didn’t know him, he would come right up to you and start licking your face.  He’s also very lazy.  The first time we saw him, he was lying next to some chairs and refusing to get up.  He was almost the exact opposite of Champy when it came to exercise.  Champy would want to play fetch all the time.  Lucas, on the other hand would want to lie down and get rubbed on his belly. 

Lucas, focused on eating raw chicken

Champy seems to have the best life out of any of these dogs.  He gets to run around next to bikes all day and is extremely well trained.  His owner, Alberto, never gets mad at him.  He is also the alpha male everywhere he goes because he’s so strong.  Whenever he gets into fights (which only happens on occasion) he always wins.  He’s also very well fed and his owner always has time for him.