Most Munro baggers crack open the champagne or enjoy a wee dram when they reach the summit.
But Kerry Blue terrier Betty – one of the fastest dogs to conquer all 282 Scottish mountains over 3,000ft – prefers a hard boiled egg.
For owner and hiking companion Shona Marshall, 58, that has meant providing a constant supply of healthy treats for her pet, after completing an incredible 546 Scottish peaks in less than two years – an average of 24 a month – as well as every mountain over 3,000ft in England and Wales.
Mrs Marshall, who lives in Kinloss, said it was “humbling” to witness the trust the canine put in her as they scrambled up the rocky slopes.
A former show dog, seven-year-old Betty, became only the 15th dog to be entered into the Munro Society’s Canine Completers register, having scaled every one in just 12 months and two days.
Along with her owner, she completed her final Munro ascent on Skye last year and in doing so raised thousands of pounds for the Kerry Blue Terrier Rescue charity.
Now the mountaineering duo are well on their way to conquering all 226 Munro tops – peaks over 3,000ft that are classed as a subsidiary of a nearby Munro – by this April.
They have already climbed 180 of them, as well as 30 Corbetts, mountains over 2,500ft, and 30 Grahams and 24 Donalds, Scottish peaks over 2,000ft.
Mrs Marshall, a retired clay pigeon shooter and Commonwealth Games silver medalist, who got Betty to keep her active, said: “She’s just the right size and provides me with great company on the hill. She copes very well when we have to scrabble up rocks. There’s not many bits I have had to give her a hand with.
“Bla Bheinn was the first scrambly hill we climbed and it was humbling to witness the trust she put in me as I encouraged her up and down.”
Multiple climbs in a day
When she first gave Betty a home at 15 months old, the pup was reluctant to even step in a puddle.
But now the mountaineering canine is no stranger to scaling multiple peaks in a day and will venture out in all weathers, enjoying a well earned treat at the top.
Mrs Marshall said: “She always gets two hard boiled eggs on the summit and every walking day she gets sardines on top of her normal meal for the extra calories. We’ve got our own chickens so there’s always plenty of eggs.”
But she recalled: “We had a bit of a disaster on top of Sgurr Alasdair. I got her two eggs and she nosed one of them and it set off down the hill, rolling. Luckily she didn’t try to chase after it. But now I always make sure I put them down where they won’t roll away from her.”
Climber, 82, completes all 282 Munros and raises more than £70,000 for charity
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