A sassy and loving hound mix, Devi was just eight weeks old when she came into Andrea Johnston’s life. Last June, Johnston was still mourning the loss of her sweet elderly rescue dog when a friend of a friend reached out, relaying that three puppies had been found on a nearby interstate ramp and one of them who would soon go by the name of Devi.
“I have always let my rescue dogs find me,” Johnston says. “[When] my friend told me about the three puppies being found on the interstate ramp, I knew right away one of them was supposed to come home with me and rushed to meet them. [Devi] climbed in my lap and put her head on my heart. It was love at first sight.”
Johnston and Devi have since gone on many adventures. They began hiking together when Devi was young to get her used to it, and now it is their favorite outdoor activity. Devi especially loves places that have rocks for hopping across and sand for digging. A trip to Virginia’s Crabtree Falls was particularly special, as the adventure companions explored the scenic falls located not far off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Johnston snapped a picture of Devi striking quite the pose below cascades of the 1,200-foot falls, and the resulting image was voted by readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors as the winner of our annual Adventure Critter Pet Photo Contest.
“This was such an exciting day for us,” Johnston says of the day the winning photo was taken. “It was one of Devi’s first real waterfall hikes to one of my favorite places, Crabtree Falls. Even though she looks full size in the photo, she was only a little over 4 months old. The trail was pretty busy, as usual, but somehow, I managed to get that shot with no one in it. Devi absolutely loved meeting new friends and playing on the rocks.”
Johnston continues to take her young pup on many adventures, and people can follow Devi’s explorations at the Instagram account @devi_isababy.
“She is such a sweet and fun girl and I feel so lucky to have her in my life,” Johnston says.
This year’s Adventure Critter Pet Photo Contest was sponsored by Dominion Energy Riverrock. Photos of all adventurous pets were welcome—furry, feathered, spiked, or even scaley. Blue Ridge Outdoors received hundreds of submissions and thousands of votes for the ten finalists, but one came out on top.
