New business will take your dog on an adventure hike in the Boise Foothills
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Hike Doggie launched in Boise, offering guided trail hikes for local dogs.
- The $100 service includes pickup, exercise, on-trail care and drop-off services.
- Franchise owners plan to hire as strong demand emerges for pet enrichment hikes.
Luna was the first one off the bus on a warm Thursday morning. Not a school bus but a “Bark Bus” — a bright blue custom van outfitted with “zen den” kennels, a shower and other safety and comfort features for up to 12 pups — belonging to Hike Doggie, a new Boise-area business that will take your dog for a hike in the Foothills.
Hike Doggie co-owner Harry Maalouf walked the red Siberian husky in circles in the parking lot of Polecat Loop trailhead as his wife and business partner, Megan Maalouf, introduced new friends one by one: Cruz, the Maaloufs’ yellow Lab; Bentley, a black-and-white mixed breed; and Romeo, a young black Lab.
Harry seamlessly integrated each dog to the group as he lapped the parking lot to keep the dogs more interested in the changing sights and smells than in sniffing one another. They were quickly ready to begin their hike on Peggy’s Trail across Cartwright Road.
The Maaloufs fully launched Hike Doggie Treasure Valley in mid-August. They said already their Bark Bus has earned plenty of attention from potential clients and hopeful employees.
The couple are the first franchisees of Hike Doggie outside of Colorado, where the business launched in 2016 and now has multiple locations around the Denver metropolitan area.
Just a few years ago, the couple’s life looked quite different. Megan worked in HR at the Boise Centre, and Harry was an officer with the Boise Police Department. But dogs were a constant. Harry’s role in the Police Department was a handler for the agency’s “officer wellness dogs,” K-9 officers Clover, and later Cruz. The dogs helped alleviate stress for police officers, as well as create community outreach, according to the agency.
But a few years ago, the Maalouf family decided to go all in on dogs. They franchised with Aussie Pet Mobile, a mobile pet grooming company for dogs and cats. After that, Harry said, the hiking business seemed like a natural progression.
The Maaloufs said they realized some of the clients from their pet grooming business were older or had busy work schedules and needed help getting their dogs outside for exercise. For some of them, doggy day cares were overstimulating or a poor fit. Harry, already an avid hiker and mountain biker, said they were connected with Hike Doggie “through the franchise world” and thought the business fit a gap that was perfect for Boise.
“Being in the pet service industry, we saw kind of a lack of better, healthier mental and physical enrichment options for pets,” he said. “With this, they’re seeing birds and bushes and getting out, and even the ride to and from the trailhead on the bus is like seeing your friends. They’re all talking the whole way.”
Boise Foothills dog hiking business means treats, fun and more
Harry calls Hike Doggie a “white glove service”: the company picks up pups at clients’ houses early in the morning; transports the dogs to the trail for a 5- to 7-mile hike; provides water, treats and a trailhead hose-down before heading home; and will even take care of potty breaks, feeding and watering for other pets in the home at drop-off.
The service runs owners $100 per dog per hike, and Harry recommends a once-a-week schedule so dogs can recuperate and get to know the pets that hike on the same day they do.
Hikers handle up to four dogs at once and carry water and bowls for each.
“People always say, ‘How could you possibly walk four dogs?’” Harry said during the recent hike on Peggy’s Trail in the Boise Foothills.
“You guys can see in the first 10 minutes. It’s a little crazy, but after that, it’s like this,” he said, indicating the four dogs walking shoulder-to-shoulder on the trail.
Right now the Maaloufs are the only employees of their franchise, but Harry said the level of interest from clients means they’ll likely begin hiring immediately.
Employees will need to be prepared to go above and beyond the trail etiquette expected by Ridge to Rivers, the coalition of land management agencies that maintains the Boise area’s 200-plus miles of trails. Harry said he and his wife are sure to always pick up poop from Hike Doggie clients, plus any extra they come across, storing all the bags in a waste container traditionally used by rock climbers on long treks. Theirs is bright yellow and bears the phrase, “No turd left behind.”
Harry said Hike Doggie also always yields to other trail users, and its dogs are always on-leash. The 6-foot leashes the company uses can be shortened to keep the dogs even closer if necessary. They try to choose trails wide enough for the pack to walk side-by-side with space to step off the trail and wait for others to safely pass.
Hike Doggie also implements safety precautions, Harry said. Its hikers are trained in canine first aid in addition to a regular training program and ongoing education. Dogs are introduced to each other in a neutral space while walking and kept separated during water and treat breaks to prevent any unsafe interactions.
Outside of safety, the top priority is, of course, to have fun. So far that part has been easy.
“Our mission is to make dogs as happy as they make us,” Harry said. “We chose that because we feel like our mission should always be something you can’t quite attain, and we don’t think that we’ll ever make them quite as happy as they make us.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 8:58 AM.
