I have been gifted with a drop off dog. Her name is now bonnie,a very loyal creature indeed. The problems we have encountered being that she is a boston terrier with short hair and very little body fat. The heat is the killer for her,anything else she will endure.Days that it is hot and sunny shes only good for around 5 miles due to body heat issues. The poison ivy is an issue when you get them in the hammock with you,as is the ticks .i use a reflectix pad for her to sit on then cover her with my coat,or turn my down coat into a small dog hut with a piece of zing it and a tent stake. I too will be on the a t this coming year,sadly without the bon bon(bonnies trail name). She truely deserves to go with the miles that are under her belt,but i dont want to put her at risk. There are alot of things that will be unknown to me ,so i have no point of reference to provide safety for her. Good luck I hope to see you out there. I liked your statement on white blaze that you are out there to enjoy the trail not endure it. I think of that statement often.peace......Hairbear