Dogs That Are Definitely More Adventurous Than You

If you've been itching to take a new adventure but can't seem to take the plunge solo, consider a canine companion as the travel buddy you're looking for. These 36 pups prove that dogs can be just as if not more adventurous than humans.

Maddie the coonhound and her photographer dad Theron Humphrey are one of the most followed adventure duos on Instagram. Humphrey adopted Maddie to be his companion on a year-long, 50-state road trip. Maddie then went viral thanks to Humphrey's funny photo series and website Maddie on Things, which led to her getting her own book. While she's standing on fewer things these days, she and Humphries are always exploring, whether that's camping in Washington, padding around a Tennessee swimming hole or hiking through a canyon in Utah.

Nori

Shepherd mix Nori was rescued by dog-loving photographer and filmmaker Ben Moon after being found in the desert east of Los Angeles. Thankfully she took to the coastal life quite well, enjoying swimming, crabbing and paddle boarding as well as hiking and even mountaineering.

Whisper

Thanks to her late owner, extreme athlete Dean Potter, Australian cattle dog also led a pretty extreme life. She became the the world's first wingsuit BASE jumping dog by flying tandem with Potter, who developed a special rig and "doggles" specifically so his pup could tag along safely and comfortably. A skilled climber and mountaineer, Whisper was also Potter's service dog because of his partial hearing loss. Potter died while BASE jumping, without Whisper, in 2015.

Momo

Endearing border collie Momo travels around the country in a Volkswagen van with his owner, photographer Andrew Knapp. This playful pup not only loves swimming, paddle boarding, digging and climbing, but he also travels around the U.S. and across Europe in order to star in his own adorable hide-and-seek photography book series, "Find Momo."

Chapati

Named after the Indian flatbread, Chapati was adopted after being found as a stray in India by Ukrainian couple Eugene and Kristina. The newly formed trio continued along the human's planned pan-Asian trip, with Chapati logging more than 11,000 travel miles across Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines and more before heading back to Europe, where she's been to Belarus, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Max and Cooper

After rescuing her dog Max, photographer Alison Turner hit the road with her furry friend and together they lived out a tent for two years. Max continued to be her travel companion to some of the country's best sights like the Bonneville Salt Flats, Redwood National Park and Joshua Tree even after they upgraded to a camper van. In 2018, she adopted heeler mutt Cooper.

Loki

Husky/arctic wolf/malamute mix Loki is made for the cold, and along with his adventurous spirit, he can hang with his owner Kelly Lund doing extreme activities like backcountry snowboarding and road-tripping more than 60,000 miles across the U.S. from Alaska to the Great Lakes. In 2018, Lund compiled some of the most stunning photos of Loki into a photo book called "Wild Together."

Bentley

This English Bulldog from Vancouver often flies as co-pilot with his owner, R44 helicopter pilot Bradley Friesen. An adrenaline hound, Bentley can fly the friendly skies thanks to his own harness and doggie headphones. He and his owner will make special landings on crystal clear lakes for a swim or icy mountaintops for a game of fetch or a round of sledding.

Aspen

Instagram-famous golden retriever Aspen serves as a model for his photographer owners, Hunter and Sarah Lawrence. He's equally comfortable strolling the streets of New Orleans, bounding down the beach in Oregon or canoeing in Canada.

Django and Chloe

BFFs Parson Russell terrier Chloe and long-haired dachshund Django are quite the jet-setters. While Rio de Janeiro is home, when they're not learning to surf at Copacabana beach, they're shopping on Rodeo Drive, hitting up the slots in Las Vegas, playing in Portugal or climbing Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany.

Puppi

Hound mix service dog Puppi and her feline friend, rescue cat Burma, have helped their human, army veteran Stephen Simmons, treat his PTSD using adventure therapy across Oregon, California, Montana and more. Their inspirational story, along with their cross-species, odd couple-like pairing, earned them a social media following and their own series of photo books.

Henry, Rivers and Bjorn

Alaskan dentist Tim enjoys snapping silly pics of his canine camping companions, golden retrievers Henry and Rivers and Russian Samoyed mix Bjorn, in their gorgeous natural surroundings. He told Outside magazine that one of his secrets to getting great shots of his dogs is holding his GoPro in his mouth and setting it to shoot continuous frames.

Rio and Baya

Chocolate lab Rio and lab mix Baya have tackled every terrain Oregon has to offer with their owner, Elena Pressprich, from the desert to the beach to the mountains. Their human is a photographer and videographer for dog performance gear brand Ruffwear, and the pups definitely put their equipment to good use on their various adventures.

Gus and Bernie

Professional climber Cedar Wright needs pets that can keep up with his lifestyle, and thankfully he found himself an "all-terrain" black pug named Gus and an endlessly energetic Brussels Griffon named Bernie. They both accompany him to rugged climb sites and will attempt their own miniature free solo climbs between crag naps.

Jasper

Three-year-old Alaskan Malamute and Golden Retriever mix Jasper can accompany owner Whitney on all her road trip adventures across the U.S. and Canada thanks to a cozy platform bed in the back of her SUV.

Millie

No matter the season, golden retriever Millie enjoys the lakes, mountains and coasts of the Pacific Northwest with her photographer owners, Bridget and John, who spend their summers at a cabin in Alaska.

Finn

Border collie rescue Finn and photographer Sam Glinsmann are an outdoor-loving match made in heaven. Finn went on his first camping trip the day after being adopted and now, at the sound of camping gear clanging, he jumps in the car, excited to explore the outdoors on a new adventure.

Luna

Nature photographer Morgan Lee Alain and her partner in crime Luna love exploring the wilds of British Columbia, whether its bounding through the snow, taking a dip near a waterfall or making it to the top of the Bugaboos mountains.

Cajun

Not many people can keep up with BASE jumper and rock climber Steph Davis, but she does have a canine companion named Cajun who accompanies her to her jump points and isn't afraid of scaling rocks or sprinting through the desert herself.

Kyro and Kona

These Australian cattle dogs have made their home in British Columbia, where they and owner Leanne Darrell love taking in the gorgeous landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. The pair even have their own line of bandanas, collars and treat pouches.

Chip and Quin

Chipper, a bully blend rescue, and Quinci, a terrier rescue, make quite a trio with their adventurous owner, Katie Mogowski. They love hiking, paddling, floating and camping their way across the western United States.

Henry

Formerly a shelter dog known as Buttercup, Henry was adopted at 3 months old by outdoorsy owners Cynthia and Andre. On his first hike, Henry revealed his adventurous streak by fearlessly scaling a steep rock. Henry and his faithful feline friend Baloo can be seen hiking around Colorado and taking in beautiful vistas on their Instagram.

Aspen and Koa

Golden retrievers Aspen and Koa love exploring West Virginia and beyond with their photographer owner, Samantha, and her husband. Whether it's camping or kayaking, these fleet-footed pups are always on the move — and their Basset hound brother, Murphy, just tries to keep up.

Claire

Dutch photographer Alice van Kempen brings along her all-white bull terrier Claire to shoot across Europe. Van Kempen specializes in chronicling abandoned buildings, and Claire serves as her partner in urban exploring as well as a frequent model in her fantastical photo shoots.

 

Holly and Juneau

These two gorgeous merle Aussies live in Minnesota and enjoy swimming in the lake, romping in forests and fields, befriending miniature horses and watching the Northern Lights.

Diesel

Sam Davis and his wife Jen got their lab/shepherd/husky mix Diesel in 2012 while they were seniors at Pacific Lutheran University. Now the young family, based in Seattle, explore the Pacific Northwest together, with Diesel even tagging along on a climb to the summit of Mt. Hood.