A fur dad named Kyle Rohrig knew that bringing his eight-year-old Shiba Inu to the Florida Trail would be risky. The hike was 1,100 miles and was extremely challenging to complete, especially with a blind old dog.
The dog, Katana, had already become an experienced hiker before she began to lose her sight. She and her fur dad had completed the Appalachian Trail, and the pair was amidst a 2,650-mile hike when her vision in her left eye became cloudy due to glaucoma.
They had to leave the hike so the pooch could undergo surgery. However, the pair returned once the veterinarian cleared Katana to finish the trail.
But when the pooch lost her vision in the right eye about two years later, her personality changed. In the beginning, she was timid and cautious about doing anything and unconfident about herself.
Rohrig already had his eye on hiking the Florida Trail but didn’t make any official plans. But after his beloved dog went blind, he believed that trail would be perfect for helping Katana accept her new situation.
Rohrig and Katana began their hike at the trailhead in Big Cypress. The fur dad estimated that it would take two to three months to reach Fort Pickens.
Rohrig said the trail was wet and muddy. The two had to wade through water, swamp, or mud for miles at times, even up to his waist.
Over the next two months, the pair braved snakes, alligators, busy highways, and blown-down trees. Rohrig said the Florida Trail was monotonous and grueling.
Katana hiked by herself every day, even for only one or two miles. However, Rohrig would carry the dog over his shoulders and backpack when trail conditions got too challenging. According to him, the pooch loved every moment, especially when she got to explore new places.
Katana hiked around 200 miles, and her fur dad carried her for about 800 miles. Two months later, as the two reached the state line, Rohrig realized that the fearful dog once again became the strong and self-assured dog he knew.
Rohrig became emotional seeing Katana do so well. It was like nothing had changed since their days when they first got into long-distance hiking.
Video credits: The Dodo via YouTube
