O&B & Keylo Ogunda, Queen Yansa, & Vivian Soohki @Hood2HomesteadOB

Adventure Dog Podcast

Today’s episode is with Baltimoreans Oscar & Belinda and their pups Keylo Ogunda, Queen Yansa, and feline Vivian Sookhi @hood2homesteadob, putting down new roots homesteading in the beautiful desert of New Mexico!

Both Belinda and Oscar had been living in the city and working corporate jobs. Eventually they left the corporate world to run their own businesses as a chef and barber, respectively. But after several years they wanted even more change. In an effort to live a more grounded, sustainable, and mindful lifestyle, they purchased a plot of land on the 35th parallel in the heart of the New Mexico desert, not far from the Rio Grande River valley. And they built a tiny home to get there! Eventually, their plan is to build a more permanent home on their plot, with a focus on sustainability and renewable energy.

Of course, they made plans for their fur children too. Keylo Ogunda, a labrabull adopted from Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter @barcsanimal_shelter, has been with O&B for five years. He was their first dog they brought to the family as a couple, and a companion for their older red nosed pit, King. After an incident with another dog, Belinda was set on adopting out Keylo to a veteran’s program. But Belinda quickly found that Keylo was focused on her well-being and he has since become a permanent part of the family and a loyal guardian for Belinda. After King passed, they then brought Yansa, an AmStaff and the runt of her litter, into the family as a puppy. Keylo Ogunda and Queen Yansa now benevolently rule over their hoomans! Last but not least, there is also the wonderful Ms. Vivian Soohki, a Calico feline to keep an eye on the canines.

Some of the places they enjoyed taking the pups while living on the east coast included Susquehanna State Park, Shenandoah National Park and valley, Gunpowder Falls State Park, Loch Raven Reservoir Park, Jerusalem Mill, Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, and more. Because Keylo gets so excited around other dogs, they visited most of these places for the ability to be outdoors with plenty of distance from other dogs. Now that they have moved to New Mexico, not too far from Albuquerque, they enjoy the wide open expanse of the Rio Rancho desert. A short drive from their homestead plot is Petroglyph National Monument, which is partially dog friendly. To the north is Jemez Springs in the red rock San Diego Canyon in Santa Fe National Forest. To the east is Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest, full of trees and reminds the pups a bit more of their previous home.

O&B have many friends and family that they could shout out, but the one they agreed was most important was their friend Pablo Santiago @juncutz and his wife and children. Pablo, a barber in the Fort Worth area @unitedcutz, is a brother to Oscar. Truly though, the list of people that have been part of O&B’s journey is endless, and they consider themselves blessed.

Thanks for listening!

Check out O&B’s blog and shop!

For my upcoming backcountry trip, I’ve used a couple of sources to plan my groceries and meals:
Backpacking Food Ideas from www.Greenbelly.com
Best Backpacking Foods from 99boulders.com

Check here for my list of all 50 U.S. state parks websites along with COVID information.