This is Klaus. My big brown friend. This is his Signature pose.

Elegant – and manly at the same time. Poised. Thoughtful.

But don't be fooled.

He's a big, brown softie of a dog with a huge dog smile and a big warm heart- always happy to see you on the trail - whether you're a dog or just a person.

As a bonus, he likes to camp. Here we are, camping at an amazing Oregon State Park - Cottonwood Canyon. You have to admit, in this rugged outdoorsy setting, the pose says it all. The pose knows.

Little brown Klaus

His mom said when they adopted him at the shelter he was just a pup. The sign said he was good with cats and would grow up to a medium brown dog. So they took him home. Medium was just the right size.

Here's how that all turned out:

He's a HUGE brown dog! He takes up the entire back seat!! You have to fold down BOTH seats to make him fit!

He's so big, with curly, burly hair, that sometimes he looks more like a bear than a dog - especially when he's barreling down a trail at top speed headed right at you!

(But don't forget about the softie part- he's got a big, brown, warm heart. Nothing to fear here.)

Then again, his sister and I run on the small size, so we must ask ourselves the all-important question: Does Size Matter?

Or color?

All that matters is his smile -- check out those pearly whites!!! 

Klaus. His name sounds German.

But he's not a German shepherd and he doesn't have a German accent, either.

His sister is Eloise - no English accent - has a dry sense of humor - very British (or maybe Welsh?) She is a piece of work! Check this out... she just can't stand being on a tether of any kind, even if it's a mile long- without a major international protest: 

Can't you just feel the global tension at work here?! Well if not, that's only due to the deep and respectful diplomacy of our dear friend Klaus. Who in this moment says, like, "Whatever, dude."

This is what makes him so big. What sets him apart from the pack. He's, like, so chill.

Another Signature pose: Cool your jets. Klaus never met a body of water he couldn't chill in.

Klaus is a To Go dog. 

He's a climber dog - rock climber. He's the guy at the bottom of the mountain as climbers go up, then come back down.

He supervises the crazy humans. You know - respectful diplomacy? 

That white stuff? That's rock climber's chalk -

that's the thanks he gets for all his hard work.

I would call Klaus my bff.

But Klaus is bff with everyone he meets.

That's one of the things I love most about him.

The dogs and dog people you met - the friends you make - on the ride of life - are what it's all about.

They are part of us.

See ya on the trail,

Doodle

Doxie author, Surf Dog Diaries, DogDiary.org