We had the good fortune of connecting with Galen Sylk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Galen, what do you attribute your success to?
Connecting with people and their pups. I started my page with the hopes of connecting with others whose pups were dealing with similar health issues as my own dog, Baxter. Baxter has hip dysplasia and spinal disease, but I hoped to highlight that with the right treatments he is able to have an amazing quality of life. Once we started focusing on hiking, it became something so beautiful. From there, we started connecting with all sorts of people. Making connections and helping each other feel safe in vulnerable environments is so important and something I strive for.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My real story started when I adopted my dog, Baxter. Before that, I feel like I was living someone else’s story. I moved to Colorado 3 years ago with Baxter, and didn’t know a single person where I was moving to. While figuring this out, Baxter was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia and illiopsoas tendinopathy in both hips as well. Once we moved to Colorado, he started treatment immediately and I found that easy to moderate hikes were really helping him. I started the Instagram page @BaxtersMountain in the hope I could share this journey with Baxter’s health and treatments. What started as an outlet to share and learn more about Baxter’s health, turned into one of the most amazing things for both of us. We joined a local hike hosted by a hiking leader Casey @oliver.and.nutmeg and fell in love with the idea. I applied to be a hiking leader and have since hosted 1, if not 2, hikes every month since then! It has been almost 2 years and I have learned so much from this experience. Not only did hosting hiking meetups bring a newfound passion into my life, but it also brought the most wonderful people and their families and pets into mine and Baxter’s lives. I was able to use this passion and start working with local dog rescues to host hiking meetups with rescue dogs. We have been able to host monthly rescue dog walks each month so far this summer with Soul Dog Rescue in Fort Lupton, CO. Each of the rescue dog walks have been so special for the dogs there, it has been beautiful. The difference it has made for these dogs, and also people, is inspiring. It has been challenging but in the best kind of ways, and it is thanks to these amazing people and supporters for their help getting here. I think the most important lesson I have learned is to remain grateful, and stay positive through difficulties.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was in town we would absolutely go to visit the local dog shelter Soul Dog Rescue and volunteer for the day. After we could head to Romero’s K9 Club in Lafayette, CO is the best dog park bar you’ll find! It is a dog friendly bar, with an attached enclosed dog park. They have daily food trucks that are amazing. We could also go to the Flats Beer Garden has amazing food and views of the Flatirons and is right off of Route 93 in Golden!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The book “Wild” by Cherry Strayed had such an impact on my life after and really contributed to the courage I was able to find after moving to Colorado alone and completely switching careers. I’d also like to give a shout-out to Hannah, the owner of the @HikingDogsofInsta page who chose me as a hiking leader almost two years ago. It’s been life changing and I’m so grateful to her!

Website: Www.baxtersmountain.com

Instagram: @baxtersmountain

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