Pack – noun: a group of wild animals, especially wolves, living and hunting together; a group or set of similar things or people. 

Those who know me know of my love for dogs – especially German Shepherds. I’ve always loved wolves too. Everything in a wolf’s nature tells it to belong to something greater than itself: a pack. 

The original Stevens Pack was formed on March 26, 2000, when a German Shepherd puppy we named Quincy Von Shantz joined our family. A year later on March 22, 2001, a handsome Husky named Cody joined the fun.

In 2013, A year after Quincy and Cody crossed the Rainbow Bridge, we were fortunate to add two more German Shepherds, Jake and Mieshka, to our pack.

Dogs are magnificent, loyal, intuitive, genuine, hardworking, powerful, and utterly irreplaceable creatures. Sharing our lives with Quincy, Cody, Mieshka and Jake has blessed us far beyond what we deserve.

Matt and I identify with the positive aspects of pack mentality – respect the elders, teach the young, and cooperate with the pack. Play when you can, hunt when you must, and rest in between. Share your affection, voice your feelings, and leave your mark.  While we don’t currently have a dog(s) in our pack, we do plan to add one or two in the future. Until then, we relish our time with honorary pack members – Bruce, Scout, and Finlay – and their humans.

Pack – verb: cram a large number of things into a container or space.

In 2015, Matt finally convinced me to buy a camper because “we could take the dogs with us.” I always hated leaving our dogs when we traveled and camping opened the door to keeping our pack together.  

Life can be chaotic and most days, too busy. Camping has been a sanctuary for me – a place to disconnect and quiet my mind; to live simply for a brief period, to explore with our dogs, and enjoy time in nature with family and friends. Camping helped me refocus my priorities and make the decision to retire. Well, encouragement from Matt helped too.  

The Stevens Pack is Matt and me… the dogs that have blessed our lives and the ones who will in the future… the camper or RV space we use for travel… and the friends and family who join in our adventures.

Pack – informal:  carry (a gun); pack heat. Enough said.

“If I was anything like my dog… I’d greet everyone I know with sheer enthusiasm. I’d consistently react with joy to a smiling face or a simple treat and I’d ride through life with the window wide open and gleefully welcome the breezes of experience in my face!” 🐾