Dickens the Welsh Terrier provided by Bravenet.com

A Little Dogma

A few words of wisdom from Dickens about hiking with dogs.

1. Try to find a trail that has water sources en route. That way it
is not necessary to carry extra water for us dogs.

2. Uncrowded trails are good because we can spend more time
communing with nature and less time with other people and dogs.

3. When Fenster and I were puppies, our parents walked us
around the yard off leash and gave us lots of treats. That way,
we learned to stay with them because that is where the fun is.

4. It is a good idea to take your humans to puppy kindergarten.
That is what we did.

5. When I go hiking, I always get a delicious sandwich on the
summit. It is a great way to reward the effort of climbing.

6. For the most part, people are happy to meet small dogs on the
trail, because we are so cute and nonthreatening.

Stairways to Heaven

Some of the higher ascents described in the journal entries include: Mt. Adams NH (5799') 8/17/11; Mt. Osceola NH (4340') 7/15/10; Mt. Abraham VT (4006') 6/15/07; Mt. Tom NH (4051') 10/5/07; Mt. Pierce NH (4312') 7/30/06; Sandwich Mtn. NH (3980') 9/16/06; and Mt. Moosilauke NH (4802') 8/27/05.

Some useful links

For more information about Bruce Hesselbach, visit his website at
http://www.sover.net/~hessel/
which includes information about his book on hiking in Vermont.
A wealth of information about select hikes in the Northeast can be found at
http://www.franklinsites.com

Welcome...

DICKENS SAYS --

Welcome to my doghouse on the net! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dickens and I am a Welsh terrier, born near Sacramento, California, on May 3, 2003. I had two sisters and one brother. In July, 2003, my brother and I were flown to our new home in Newfane, Vermont. We were named Dickens and Fenster after a TV show in 1962 starring John Astin as Dickens, but most people think that I was named after Charles Dickens. That is okay; in fact I have Great Expectations that you will like this new website.

My plan is to show you some pictures of my home and the hikes that I have been on and make a few helpful hints to humans about good places to visit with your best friends of the dog variety. You can click on the word "photos" to see pictures of the hikes and click on "journal" to read about them. One (Oliver) twist is that my photos are mainly in chronological order, but the journal is in reverse chronological order. Don't blame me for this mystery (of Edmund Drood), blame Our Mutual Friend, Bartleby the Scrivener.

The photo section is in several parts starting with "My Friends" and then going on to other titles such as "Tankerabogus" and "The Pruneface." The older photos are in the top sections and the most recent photos are in the bottom sections.

The journal entries are listed in reverse chronological order. Therefore, if you would like to read about my early hikes, you need to go back into the archives. Just click on the calendar in the archives where the earlier hikes are stored.

BRUCE SAYS --

Dickens started this website with my help in 2004 to record the interesting hikes that we were taking together. As he got older, however, he had some health issues. In 2010 he had an attack of anaplasmosis. This comes from a tick bite. He had been using anti-tick medicine but it didn't work as it should. In 2011 Dickens had bladder stones which required surgery to remove.

The most recent event is in March 2012 when Dickens was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He is getting medicine for this called piroxicam, but in all likelihood he won't be around for too much longer. I am going to keep this website going all the same, dedicating it to this very wonderful angel of a dog, a very mild mannered and sweet Welsh terrier.