DENVER - Hike Doggie, a premier dog hiking service based in Colorado, is hoping a recent customer review from an unexpected source goes viral for all the right reasons. Gunnar, a four-year-old Black Labrador Retriever, left a five-star Yelp review about his experience on a daylong hiking adventure, written entirely from his own perspective as a canine client.
The review, posted on June 16, describes what Gunnar initially thought would be a routine walk around the block but turned into what he calls "the greatest adventure of my life." The review begins with a disclaimer that he is a real dog and not a paid spokesdog, before detailing his day with Hike Doggie. He noted discovering 17 sticks, cataloguing 43 different smells, and encountering numerous squirrels along the trails. After returning home, Gunnar wrote that he "collapsed face-first on the floor, slept for six hours, barked once in his sleep, dreamed about chasing a squirrel, and woke up with a leaf still stuck to his butt."
"The moment we spotted the post, we just knew we had to share Gunnar's five-star review with as many people as possible," said Kath Allen, founder of Hike Doggie. "What he wrote in his awesome Yelp review perfectly encapsulates what makes our full-service hiking adventures so special for dogs, capturing the very essence of our brand's mission statement to 'make dogs as happy as they make us.'"
Hike Doggie, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024, offers professional daylong hiking services for dogs, including round-trip transportation in climate-controlled "Big Blue Busses," snacks, social media photos, branded gear, and end-of-day baths. The company serves over 800 dogs each month in the Denver-metro area and has completed over 60,000 hikes to date. With 10 franchisees in six states, including Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Tennessee, Georgia, and Delaware, the brand is expanding rapidly.
Gunnar's owner, Kristi Gacke, director of sales and marketing for HHM Hotels, expressed little surprise at her dog's newfound fame. "To say he's still pretty amped up about the experience is an understatement," she said. "He's kind of been destined for greatness from the day we got him."
Gunnar's review ends with only one complaint: that Hike Doggie eventually had to bring him home. He signed off as "Founder & CEO of Barkshire Hathaway, as well as the Director of Sniff Operations/Lead Squirrel Intelligence Officer, Good Boy, First Class." The full review can be read at this link. For more information about Hike Doggie's services, visit hikedoggie.com.
