I’ve been wanting to take the dogs hiking for a long time, but I always seemed to have an excuse for why it wasn’t the right day to go. This weekend I finally decided… enough excuses.
So I took Thunder and Wizard out for a 3 ½-hour hike. We explored the trails and found a few little hidden treasures along the way, including a tiny dog beach that was so tucked away we had it completely to ourselves.
They got to swim for a while, which gave all of us a nice break in the middle of the hike.
One new adventure every week
That hike got me thinking about something I’ve wanted to challenge myself to do.
For the next 12 months, I’m going to find a new hiking trail to explore with the dogs every week. If I stick with it, that will be 52 new experiences for me and my dogs.
But your version doesn’t have to involve hiking at all. Your adventure could be finding a new path in your neighborhood, visiting a pet-friendly store, trying a new enrichment game, or going somewhere you and your dog have never been before.
The only rule I’m giving myself is that it has to be something different each week.
Sometimes wellness is simpler than we make it
I realized during that first hike that this is about more than finding new places to go.
When we talk about our dogs’ health, or even our own health, it’s easy to think about food, supplements, vet care, training… all the things we’re supposed to be doing.
Wellness is a lot simpler than that. It’s getting outside and moving our bodies. Letting our dogs explore and sniff all the new smells. Getting some fresh air and spending time together.
It connects with something I wrote about in Taking Care of Both Ends of the Leash. Life with our dogs doesn’t always have to be about fixing, training, tracking, or accomplishing something.
Sometimes we can just enjoy being together.
I let the dogs set the pace
When we were hiking, I made a point not to rush through the trail. If Thunder or Wizard wanted to stop and sniff, we stopped… and we stopped a lot. 😂
We weren’t trying to set a speed record or cover as much ground as possible. I wanted them to have time to explore all those new smells and experiences along the way.
And yes, we were all exhausted afterward. My body definitely felt it the next day… and I’m sure theirs did too, because none of us are used to hiking five miles. My hope is that as we keep doing this, we’ll all get stronger.
Rest is part of it too
Then there’s the other side of all this… giving their bodies time to rest afterward, paying attention to how they’re feeling, feeding them well, and making sure anything I’m giving them for extra support actually makes sense for them.
It all ties together.
There really isn’t one magic pill or one single thing that creates health and wellness. It’s all those little choices we make every day. And this is one I’m excited to keep making.
What could your adventure look like?
Maybe it’s a hike. Maybe it’s a new walking path five minutes from home. Maybe your dog isn’t physically able to do something like a five-mile hike, so your adventure is sitting somewhere new together and letting them sniff and take in the world.
Or maybe the weather keeps you inside and you try a new enrichment game instead. I have plenty of ideas in 11 Fun Enrichment Games to Play With Your Dog Inside.
The point isn’t how far you go or how impressive the adventure sounds. It’s doing something new together.
Because life really is too short to keep waiting for the perfect time, the perfect weather, or the perfect day to do the things we keep saying we want to do.
Here’s to more adventures with our dogs.
