A dog has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales – over 1,000 climbs, writes Elizabeth Hunter.<\/p>\n
Betty has a ‘full house’ of all six major hill categories in Scotland – including 282 Munros, 227 Munro Tops, 222 Corbetts, 231 Grahams and 140 Donalds.<\/p>\n
Shona Marshall’s dog Betty has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.<\/p>\n
The nine-year-old Kerry Blue Terrier has also reached the summits of 22 Furths – the highest peaks in England, Wales and Ireland.<\/p>\n
Less than 100 people have accomplished the feat.<\/p>\n
Alongside her owner Shona Marshall the pair have now completed their final mountain summit \u2013 the 2,818ft tall Morrone, near Braemar, in the Highlands.<\/p>\n
Shona, 60, has always been a keen hill-walker, adopted Betty during the COVID lockdowns, and a year later, the pair had climbed every Munro – a feat which takes on average 15 years to complete.<\/p>\n
“I got Betty when she was around 16 months old,” said Shona, who lives in Moray.<\/p>\n
Shona Marshall’s dog Betty has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.<\/p>\n
“We started just as we came out of lockdown, on 14 April 2021.<\/p>\n
“One of my neighbours only had 30 Munros left to complete, so we decided to go out with him and help him finish.<\/p>\n
“In the end, he did over 100 Munros of our round, and we completed them all a year after we started.”<\/p>\n
Keen to keep climbing, Shona then decided to add the Munro Tops to her list – a selection of smaller peaks under 3,000ft.<\/p>\n
Shortly after came the Donalds, mountains in the Scottish Borders that are over 2,000ft high – which Shona says gave her a deeper appreciation of that area of the country.<\/p>\n
Shona Marshall’s dog Betty has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.<\/p>\n
“I was keen to do the Munro tops – which I should’ve done at the same time as we did the Munros!” she said.<\/p>\n
“I certainly recommend that anybody does those, because you really do see much more of the mountain.<\/p>\n
“Once we’d done those, we turned our attention to the Donalds in the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway.<\/p>\n
“They’re maybe not the most exciting of hills, but they’re great dog walks, and we really got to see a part of Scotland that you just whizz by on the A1 or M74.”<\/p>\n
After joining the Munro Society, Shona was informed that no dog had ever completed a Full House – and fewer than 100 people have ticked off every hill on the list.<\/p>\n
Shona Marshall’s dog Betty has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.<\/p>\n
Shona decided to take on the challenge, aiming to climb each peak before Betty turns 10 years old in June – and since then, the pair have averaged around four hills per week.<\/p>\n
“It was mentioned to me that no dogs had done the full house – and I only realised at the end of last year that fewer than 100 people have done a full house,” Shona said.<\/p>\n
“The initial aim was to complete by June – by Betty’s tenth birthday, because you just don’t know how long you’re going to have your dog around and how long they’re going to be capable of walking up hills.<\/p>\n
“When I got pushed for a completion date last summer, I thought that if we pull our finger out, we could complete within four years, so that’s why the 12 April was picked.<\/p>\n
“We had to do on average four hills a week – which was quite a challenge for the Corbetts and Grahams, because a lot of them are quite isolated hills compared to the Munros.”<\/p>\n
Shona Marshall’s dog Betty has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.<\/p>\n
Their journey has taken them to every corner of Scotland – from the Highlands and Islands to the Scottish Borders – and Shona says Betty has taken it all in her stride.<\/p>\n
Her safety is paramount to Shona, who uses a lead wherever possible to ensure Betty doesn’t get hurt attempting to chase prey.<\/p>\n
During their time in the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye, Betty even sat comfortably in a rucksack while Shona rock climbed and abseiled to reach the peaks.<\/p>\n
“Because she is so prey-driven, she’s always on a lead in the hills,” said Shona.<\/p>\n
“She would chase animals and birds otherwise – and if you’re up on a ridge, you can’t have her trying to chase a ptarmigan that’s flown over the edge.<\/p>\n
Shona Marshall’s dog Betty has become the first to complete all of Scotland’s summits and the highest peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.<\/p>\n
“She’s very good on the lead – she doesn’t pull at all.<\/p>\n
“The only time I let her off is if we’re on steep terrain where it’s safer for us to go down individually, or the occasional river crossing for the same reason.<\/p>\n
“She’s great at using her nose and finding wee paths that have been made by deer – many of the Grahams and Corbetts don’t have paths, because they’re not climbed by many people.<\/p>\n
“It’s really strengthened the bond between us, I think.”<\/p>\n
Throughout her journey, Shona has been aiming to raise money for the Kerry Blue Rescue, a charity which helps to rehome Kerry Blue Terriers like Betty.<\/p>\n
“Kerry Blue Rescue are a very small charity, run by volunteers,” said Shona.<\/p>\n
“A lot of the Kerrys need rehomed for various reasons – whether their owners are no longer able to look after them because of ill health or age, or some of them have behavioural problems.<\/p>\n
“The charity helps people work with trainers to correct these issues or to temporarily foster them.<\/p>\n
“It all costs money, and they’re entirely funded by donations.”<\/p>\n
Shona believes that her and Betty’s achievement has brought them closer together – and their challenge has also given her a greater appreciation for Scotland, its landscape, and its wildlife.<\/p>\n
“One of the really great things about doing the full house is that we’ve managed to explore so much of both mainland Scotland and several of the islands,” said Shona.<\/p>\n
“I think, because we live here, we sometimes don’t realise just what a wonderful country we have.<\/p>\n
“In terms of scenery, different types of hills – some are more rugged, some are more rounded – the vegetation and the wildlife you see when you’re out there. We often see golden eagles, ptarmigans and snow bunting.<\/p>\n
“She’s such a great companion on the hill – I never feel on my own,” Shona said.<\/p>\n
“I often get asked, particularly as a woman, whether I feel nervous being out there on my own, but I never have, because she’s always there.<\/p>\n
“Betty is my companion.<\/p>\n
“Coming through COVID and living with her, I don’t think I realised until I looked back, how important she was to coping with that period of time.<\/p>\n
“It’s easy to forget what we all went through at that time, and she was certainly a big help in me coping with that.”<\/p>\n
A link to their fundraiser can be found here: https:\/\/gofund.me\/a58d77da<\/p>\n