Ziva: Tomasz Wachowicz
Inaccessible Pinnacle, 4th April 2025
Ziva joined my household as an 8 weeks old pup just before Xmas 2015.
She changed my all existing daily duties and just slightly damaged some house stuff. From the early stages of her life she was properly trained and a well behaved dog, she was a good pupil and enjoyed that stage of her life very much. Lots of local walks, forests, beaches, ponds and getting new 4 legged friends.
The real adventure started at the age of 14 months when we climbed Ben Lomond. The journey just began. The local Munros close to Glasgow were bagged quickly and Ziva enjoyed it very much. She was friendly to other hill walkers and doggie baggers too.
Additional training on the friendly farm helped Ziva ignore any livestock or wildlife.
She was off the lead all the time apart from some tricky moments when harness was on for her personal safety. Longer journeys to regions far away from Glasgow were well planned but the weather was a main factor. Bad weather – no Munros! Ziva was over the moon knowing that we are heading to the mountains, very patient during the driving and positively tired on the way back.
She enjoyed the wild camping and a place in a corner of a tent was always for her.
We spent many nights in a various bothies where other walkers enjoyed Ziva’s Munro bagging story.
Ziva is a dog naturally created for active living. She gave me so many occasions of shared enjoyment during walks and explorations of Scottish mountains and not just mountains.
She was a great leader of larger walking groups. Always at the front and occasionally going to the back to make sure that everyone was OK and then return to the front as a leader again. A proper Border Collie caring about her human flock.
The Skye Munros were done separately because of the high level of technical ascent and descents and our final Munro was the Inaccessible Pinnacle where Ziva was in a 65l rucksack.
We planned it for a long time, practising abseiling on a similar height rock with Ziva in a rucksack.
The forecast that day, 4th April 2025, was perfect, sunny, very light winds and 12c temp. Outstanding! With big help from my fellow climbers we finished our great adventure, for me and my dog. Munros completed, dog plus human was a dream that became reality.
I am so glad of my dog and myself.
Ziva as a senior dog still enjoys long walks and occasionally repeats some Munros (now more the 100 repeats).
Ziva was a little star on the Munros for Dogs Facebook from time to time.