"Back in June of 2001 I began running the trails here at Barkcamp.  I had read about trail running in 'Muscle and Fitness' magazine and thought it sounded like fun.  I had been a hiker for years.  I was hooked very quickly and up until 2003 I did it all alone.  Then my wife brought home a Rottweiler puppy we called 'Buck'.

Some might think Rotts aren’t a running dog, but I read that the Romans had used them to herd cattle, so I took him with me.  He loved it and did up to 8 miles at a time in his prime at approximately 120 pounds.  He knew every trail in the park (there are 30 miles of trails around here) and if you said the word “truck” he knew exactly how to get back to it in the shortest path possible.

In the Fall of 2008 I was told I had prostate cancer.  In December they put in the seeds to combat the disease and in the Spring they told me it was in remission.  Then two weeks later the vet told us our Buck had lymphoma and wouldn’t live too long. A spooky thing like “The Green Mile” movie in that “did he take my cancer away from me?” went thru my mind.

On May 18, 2009 we had to put him down.  The trails you run on and the roads you walk on were his favorite place in the world and we hope you enjoy your day here in “Buckcamp” too.  And that is why there is a giant paw print (it’s his actual print—thanks Cindy!) on your shirt.

You will also see a little paw print on your shirt that says "Strider tested". After Buck passed I went looking for a dog that could run with me and push me. Cindy's sister was having her Australian Shepherd bred. We reserved one, brought him home, let him get six months old and took him running. The vet said he could run till he whimpered. Hasn't happened yet in training runs of over 20 miles. He turned 6 in September of 2015 and is still going strong. Check him out on Facebook...look up "Strider the Dogfather".

Rod and Denise Miller