Guess the Breeds!

Hi everyone! I just want to let you all know that I’m having a “guess the breed” contest for Finn! The winner will get a donation to a charity/organization of their choice! 
Post your guess as a comment on this post for your chance to win!

I’m really excited because I just sent in the DNA test kit (chose to use the Embark test), and am now patiently waiting to get the results (it takes awhile). But these results will not only show me Finn’s breed composition, but also trace as far back as his grand-dogs and maybe even great grand-dogs! It also tests for over 100 genetic conditions including Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC), which will obviously be great to know if that is an issue prior to making him hike 8-15 miles/day.

So here’s some information to help you make your guess:

Finn has webbed front feet, but a single coat of very water resistant hair. He’s very nose/scent driven, and always seems like he’s tracking something. He’s very quiet, very observant, but also relentlessly energetic & when he runs, looks like he is galloping. He does do the classic pointer stance, but will also freeze like a border collie watching a flock of sheep. 
Not sure if any of that information was helpful, but if not, here are some pictures to help. His mum is the multi colored dog (not sure about dad) and he was born in Mississippi.

The NPS

Like many of you who will read this post, I am an avid supporter/frequenter of our country’s National Parks. Admittedly, I have not been to as many as I’d like to say I have, but the ones I have visited have given me new perspectives and are truly breathtaking (and humbling).

Which is why I am deeply concerned that there is an onslaught of legislation being presented to congress right now, aimed at removing protections that safeguard the parks from drilling for oil and gas. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, these new measures would be devastating, while also leaving very little control or say in the hands of the NPS officials. 

There are also measures being brought before congress that would block the Stream Protection Rule which as its name implies, currently protects water sources, assuring that they maintain some level of quality. Mining would have devastating effects that, to be blunt, will not only outlive the men trying to mine the land/pass this legislation, but probably anyone reading this (and myself).

Parks are places where people from any background can come and find solace. From the beginning they’ve been bypartisan (with Teddy Roosevelt securing and protecting lands, and Woodrow Wilson being a founder of the NPS), probably due to the fact that trees don’t care who you vote for, though they might if you vote for the people who intend on developing lands or depleting them of their natural resources.

The NPS is something we can all get behind and support. The NPS is something we SHOULD all get behind and support. I know right now there is a scatter plot of issues being drawn up, with parks seeming like an outlier that might not need immediate attention, but these proposed bills can have immediate consequence.

If you can, visit some national parks. Show up and show congress that there are people who still value adventure and the natural world. Call your reps, call your reps reps. Protect the parks, so that the future generations can still find solace somewhere in the midst of all of this chaos and distraction.

Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go hug a tree, climb a mountain, and go to bed.