Blind Dog Undertakes An Epic 1,100-Mile Hike With Her Owner To Help Gain Back Her Self-Confidence
Kyle Rohrig knew it would be dangerous to take Katana, his 8-year-old Shiba Inu, on the Florida Trail. The 1,100-mile trip would be difficult enough without a blind dog, but it would be the most difficult test of patience and persistence he'd ever faced.
"It was either drown or swim when I brought Katana out here," Rohrig told the reporters. "The only catch was that I wasn't about to let her drown."
Katana had been hiking for a long time when she began to lose her vision. When glaucoma obscured her left sight, she and her father had successfully finished the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail and were in the middle of a 2,650-mile journey on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Katana needed surgery, so the two had to leave the woods, but they returned as soon as the vet cleared her to finish the journey together. Katana's personality changed slightly after she lost eyesight in her right eye a little less than two years later.
“At first she was very cautious and timid about doing anything,” Rohrig said. “She seemed unsure of herself.”
He knew he had to do something to help her get her self-confidence back. And he did.
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Katana, an 8-year-old Shiba Inu, started to lose her vision two years ago
Rohrig knew Katana could memorize a house's layout and live comfortably for the rest of her days, but he refused to think their experiences together were gone. As Katana grew accustomed to the dark, Rohrig devised a strategy to restore his pup's faith in herself and her talents.
“I had my eye on the Florida Trail for a couple of years, but never made any official plans to hike it,” Rohrig said. “After Katana went blind, I thought it would be the perfect trail to help her really come to terms with her new circumstances.”
“We'd been eating and sleeping her blindness for months," he added, "but out there on the trail, we'd be breathing it as well."
She is now completely blind
She is an experienced hiker and always accompanied her dad on hiking trips
Rohrig and Katana began their journey on January 8 at the Big Cypress Trailhead in the Everglades. He predicted that traveling across the state to Fort Pickens would take them two to three months.
The trail was fairly flat, but the ease ended there.“It was very wet, muddy, buggy and at times we were wading through water, mud, or swamp for miles ... sometimes up to my waist,” Rohrig said. “It was a tough, wet year to hike this trail.”
Now, he decided to take her on another trip to boost her confidence
The two battled alligators, snakes, busy highways, blown-down trees, and even a track that simply vanished into the undergrowth during the next 72 days. "The Florida Trail was as boring and arduous as it gets," Rohrig remarked.
Katana went for a solo hike every day, even if it was only a mile or two. "It was a brilliant strategy that worked extremely well," Rohrig said of looping the pup's agile 21-pound frame over his shoulders and rucksack, where she would recline as if sleeping on her couch at home when trail conditions became too difficult.
“She loved every second of the freedom out there and getting to explore new places,” Rohrig added. “I truly think that's every dog's dream.
“After Katana went blind, I thought it would be the perfect trail to help her really come to terms with her new circumstances," her dad says.
Katana trekked more than 200 miles of the journey herself, with Rohrig carrying her for the remaining 800 miles. Rohrig could see the fearful puppy he started with wasn't the same as the powerful, self-assured pup leading the way to the finish as they approached the state boundary in late March.
“I don't know exactly how she did it, but she could lead me down the trail perfectly, without hitting a single obstacle while accounting for every twist and turn in the trail,” Rohrig said. “Katana went from cautious and timid to confident and curious.”
The experience was life-changing for Rohrig as well. “It was emotional seeing her do so well,” he said, “as if nothing had changed since our nostalgic days when first getting into long-distance hiking.”
“She's not just dealing with her new circumstances — she's thriving, and she's thriving wherever she goes."
Katana is now back at home and using all of the talents she learned on her voyage in her daily life. She patrols the vast backyard at home by running in and out of the doggy doors, and she jumps on and off the couch and bed without hesitation.
She's not just dealing with her new circumstances — she's thriving, and she's thriving wherever she goes,” Rohrig said. “We have many more adventures planned, and I'm going to keep taking her until she ceases to enjoy them. We're both living the dream.”
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