our furry side

Here at Altrec.com, we love working hard and playing hard, too. Although we can't bring all of our buddies to work with us, we are lucky enough to be able to bring our best "furry" friends to the office. From skiing and mountain biking in the Cascade Mountains, to climbing at Smith Rock and fly fishing on the Deschutes River, our loyal companions join us in every aspect of our adventurous lifestyle. They are ingrained in our memories, which in turn inspire our work at Altrec. It only makes sense that our dogs spend their "rest days" at our feet in the office. Our furry friends bring joy and laughter into our lives every day, and we'd love to share their stories and personalities with the larger Altrec community. So, we are happy to introduce a few of our furry friends. Say hi... now sit! Stay!

Wyatt - 5 years - Rescue Dog @ Mt. Bachelor

Wyatt's Humans: Berkley & Matt

We all know that Labs are GREAT working dogs. They're easy to train, they have lots of drive, a great sense of smell, and lots of energy. Wyatt is no exception! Wyatt has a great nose, and, despite the fact that he is a bit of a goofball a lot of the time, when he puts his harness on, he knows it's time to work, and he's very good at what he does. He started his rescue dog training as a little pup, during his first spring in 2008, just riding up the chairlift on Mt. Bachelor in Matt's backpack. He started his first official winter as a rescue dog in 2008/2009.

Wyatt has attended two different schools. His first was the Swiss Avalanche Rescue Dog School at Stevens Pass, WA - a more formal school with a Swiss training model. His second was at the Alta, Utah Wasatch Backcountry Rescue International Dog School. There, he was exposed to less-common scenarios, such as riding in a helicopter!

Since then, Wyatt has weekly update drills with the other dogs at Mt. Bachelor. His fellow rescue dogs include Riggins a 2-year-old male Black Lab, and 2 younger Golden Retrievers: Mango and Banyan. Wyatt is the old man of the group (as evidenced by his graying beard). He takes 1 day off a week and spends it here at Altrec, in addition to his summers. We love having him in the office, and we get a kick out of his antics, such as his tendency to chug his entire bowl of water at once!

Ruffwear sponsors the rescue dogs at Mt. Bachelor, so Wyatt has lots of gear. He wears the Web Master Dog Harness and the Quick Draw Leash when he is skiing down the slopes. He sports the Knot-a-Leash for around the parking lot. Of course, he sits on the Mt. Bachelor Pad for the ride up to the mountain in the truck. He also uses the OmniJore Joring System at Wanoga for cross country skiing. So much fun!

And for YOUR bestie, we're proud to offer gear from Ruffwear, a local Bend company that specializes in gear for all dogs that explore the great outdoors - one of the "100 Best Green Companies to Work For in Oregon"!