A Rad Year In Review

Of course the beginning of every new year has so many great things to look forward to: so many trails to be broken, adventures to plan, and road trips to take in the year ahead! But we've had a great 2016--stellar in fact--and we don't want to cruise into the new year without taking a look as some of the new and incredible ways we've grown in the past year.

So, we thought we'd share these interesting little facts about our year at Rad Dog Pet Products. What color did our customers like the most? How far did our products travel? And, what breed is our smallest customer? Read on to find out!

A Rad Year In Review

• Top Instagram Posts From Other Contributors: 
• @crunch_adventures, @pawsonpeaks, @pawsforabeer, @kelpie_subaru and @outdoorrunning

  

  Our Dogstagrammers

• Number of New Color Combinations on the Release ’N Run:  
• Two; Olive Green and Turquoise/Red

Our New Olive Green Release 'N Run

• Most Popular Color:  
• Blaze Orange, followed by Red 

  

  Blaze Orange: Our customer's favorite color choice
  

• The Best Color Choice for the Release 'N Run (Based on Dog Fur Color):  
• Red-furred dogs look best in the Fuchsia
• Blonde dogs look great in Olive Green, Turquoise and Blue
• Brown-furred dogs look good in Olive Green and Blue
• Black and white dogs look great in bold colors like Fuchsia, Turquoise and Red

  

  Black dogs look great in bold colors

• Farthest Place an Order Was Shipped:  
• Perth, Australia (9,251 miles from our production in Bellingham, Washington)

• Most Interesting Places We've Shipped Our Products To:  
• Higashiyamatoshi, Japan
• Alvsio, Sweden
• Schalsum, The Netherlands
• Duisburg, Germany
• Bray, Ireland
• Dubai, UAE

  

  We've shipped our products to Dubai!

• Number of Instagram Likes: 
• 11,423

• Number of Instagram Comments: 
• 785

  

  You bark, we listen!

• Most Popular Day Online at myraddog.com:  
• Free Shipping Day, December 16th

  

  FREE is a very good price!

• Largest Audience Outside the US: 
• Russia

  

  We have a lot of Russian Rad Dogs!

• Most Popular Product:  
• Release 'N Run Retractable Leash ad Collar in One 

• Most Popular Time to Shop For Your Dog On Our Website: 
• 5pm PST

  

  Time to shop!

• Smallest Dog Featured On Our Website: 
• Aussie Shepherd (We need more! Follow us on Instagram and use #radwinterdog to make the connection with us!)  

To all our rad customers (four-legged and two) that contributed to these statistics, thank you!  It's been a RAD year and we look forward to another one!

Adventure Dogs and their Humans: Established in 1915

When you hit a trail with your furry friend, or play fetch in a park, do you ever wonder who has gone before you and been captivated by this very same place?

How many a hikers have enjoyed a hike up to this same peak, to look out at the splendor beyond? And how many paws have trekked through on this wanderlust before your canine?

These are the questions we ponder as we make our ascent up the trail. We decided to look and see just who was the first to share outdoor adventures like these with their pup, a tradition that would be fufilled by people and their furry adventurers for years to come!

The Gehrke Family: America's first canine-accompanied outdoor adventurers

Pictures of the Gehrke family from pbs.com

In 1915, a childless couple from Nebraska, Margaret and Edward Gehrke, decided that they were going to make a lifestyle of going to the places that were popularly loved by others. More specifically, they acted on their dream to travel to all National Parks in the United States, with their beloved furry canine companions in tow.

Margaret, a former school teacher, was a lover of books. Edward was a fishing enthusiast and dog lover who enjoyed photographing their adventures together. The life they had envisioned evolved as they began to make a beautiful life despite it being one without bearing children. With their furry children in tow, they made an intentional effort to visit all of the United States National Parks (18 in total at the time).

Their love of the the parks initially began as they were traveling home via train from a trip to San Francisco. They stopped to see the Grand Canyon, and it was then that the splendor of the parks would captivate their hearts. Initially they traveled by train, but eventually their signature traveling method would be made possible by the Buicks--17 of them in all--which would end up navigating their journeys. Each summer, they faithfully chose a park until they eventually reached their goal and saw all 18.

Margaret kept a journal, and made an entry of their adventures every single day, while Edward photographed all of their excursions. One particularly notable trip was documented in the piece "To A Dog" and devoted to their beloved furry canine companion Barney, who made the 7,000 mile journey in the Buick as they traveled to parks out west.

In the 1930’s, Edward began working on a traveling house to take to their next park adventure. Sadly, he died in 1939 before the “house-car” was ever driven to a National Park. He was 58. Margaret survived her husband for another 40 years. In her years following Edward’s death, Margaret continued to visit the parks, often with her furry companions by her side. The last park she visited was the couple's favorite park, Rocky Mountain National Park. Today, the photographs and the journals can be seen at the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Next time you go on a National Park excursion, don’t forget to give pause, and think of all the people and furry companions that have found splendor and comfort in the very same place. The mountains are calling you too, to greet them with two boots, and when possible, four paws.