This outdoors-loving Hungarian Vizsla could be the most well-travelled canine in North America. With nearly 80K Instagram followers, four-year-old Whiskey loves posing at the top of mountains with her backpack, wrapped up warm for the cold weather in wool blankets and bodysuits and exploring logs and lakes.
Whiskey’s adventures are regularly posted to her Instagram, @mywhiskeygirl, by her owner Adele Ng, from Vancouver, Canada. “We hike, camp, roadtrip, snowshoe, canoe, and play with friends in the mountains around Vancouver, and where we can drive to during our vacations,” she said.
“She loves to model and climb things and so at least once a week I'll take her out for a hike or camp trip. She's my muse, my best friend, and adventure buddy. Whiskey is pretty nonchalant about going to new places because she goes to new places every week. She acts at home on the top of high cliffs, in tents, or in hotels as long as we are by her side. All she wants is to be with us and curl up with us at night in bed.”
Adele started the Instagram so she wasn’t annoying people on her Facebook with pictures of her dog, but never dreamed the page would amass so many thousand followers. Despite leading a pretty extraordinary life for a dog Adele believes Whiskey couldn’t be happier and loves to explore. “I chose the Vizsla breed mainly because they are known to be such high energy dogs that are wonderful to hike with,” she explained.
“My husband doesn't always want to go with me, and sometimes it's hard to organize friends last minute, or when the weather is perfect, so now I have my own little perfect hiking partner. The first time we went camping, Whiskey was a puppy and crawled into the footbed of my sleeping bag and all night long wiggled around my bag keeping me up.
“These days she still sleeps in my sleeping bag keeping me warm and also has her own backpack to help carry up the gear. She loves and is so confident on the alpine peaks we hike to.
Hungarian Vizslas need a lot of exercise according to Adele, making them the ideal dog for adventures. She explains how energetic they can be and why she thinks people should try to bring their pets with them wherever they go. “It's not easy and you do have to make compromises but for me a dog is family, and not leaving family behind is very important,” she said.
“If possible, it's wonderful for your dog to experience new things, people, and places and if you are visiting friends, camping or roadtripping, it can be a really wonderful thing to have your pet come with you. “Please do not get a Vizsla because they are beautiful. The breed is getting more popular but they are really not ideal (or even possible) for most people. These are hunting dogs bred for long distance and full day excursions, so a walk around the block (or 10 of them) is not going to do it. Vizslas need to run, and this is non-negotiable. They need two hours minimum off-leash exercise as well as tons of attention.
“These "velcro" dogs (so called because they like to be glued by your side) are very sensitive, extremely loyal, and very clean (we are still on our first bottle of shampoo). Because of their soft short hair, and personality, these are not outdoor dogs and like to be under the covers on your bed when not zooming around the fields or forest.”
