It’s not a typo—Mason Mason is an adventurous dog who has trekked across 100+ miles of nature trails. Camping, kayaking, backpacking in the snow… he’s done it all.
Even more importantly, this all-weather rescue pup brought love and healing to the Mason family during a time of need.
Why did you Embark Mason?
Mason is a rescue, and his history was a little bit of a mystery. We wanted to see what his breed mix was, mostly for fun and because we were really curious! We had several theories and suspicions, but we wanted definitive answers.
Follow Mason on Instagram: @themittenmutt
What is his adoption story?
A few years after getting married, my wife and I wanted to start a family. We struggled with infertility, and a few years later we still weren’t expecting a baby. It was a very challenging time in our lives. We decided to take a break from all the doctor visits and supplements… and adopt a dog. We found Mason’s picture in a Facebook post by New Hope Pet Rescue and thought it would be funny to adopt him because his first name was our last name, “Mason”. He was born into a high kill shelter down south, and the rescue volunteers transported him across the country to Michigan for adoption. It took only a short visit with Mason to know that he was right for us, and the 8-week-old Mason became part of our family. We had plans to change his first name, but nothing seemed to stick. After a few weeks we gave up and accepted that “Mason Mason” was our dog’s actual, legal name. Mason entered our life at a time of frustration and sadness, but he provided us with an incredible amount of healing and a new sense of purpose. I don’t know where we’d be without him.
What are his favorite things to do?
Mason loves joining us for our outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, and kayaking. One of his favorite activities is running with us on mountain bike trails. He can be a high-energy dog, and we learned early on that “a tired dog is a happy dog”. Mountain biking has been a fantastic way to tire him out, and also bond through the teamwork it takes to responsibly and safely ride MTB trails with a dog. Over the last year we’ve probably covered about a hundred miles of single track trails together.
How does Mason express goodwill?
Mason shows goodwill through his loving nature as our companion. He’s a fantastic adventure dog and shows us how much he loves to please us with every hike and every bike ride. If you ever need encouragement to get off the couch, a dog is a great way to do it! Mason yips and borks whenever I pull my mountain bike off the rack, and he dances when I get my backpacking gear out for a weekend trip. Wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing, he is happy when he’s enjoying it with us. But perhaps most importantly, he is a fantastic companion to my daughter. That’s right – despite our challenges with infertility, we were thrilled to have a healthy and happy daughter at the end of 2019. She and Mason have become best friends, and we absolutely love watching them grow up together. He is exceptionally patient and gentle with her, and we appreciate him so much for that.
Were you surprised by Mason’s Embark results? 🐾
YES! We thought he was a whippet-something, but his results are very different. The most prominent breed in his mix is Australian Shepherd, and we can wrap our heads around that, but we had no idea he was part Miniature Schnauzer, or some of the other breeds identified in his Embark results. It was fun to see breeds like Husky… we don’t think he looks much like a Husky, but he can definitely sound like one when he gets excited. We were also happy to see his health test results, and that he is not at increased risk for genetic health conditions.
@themittenmutt
Check out Mason’s Embark profile!
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