Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Walking On The Wild Side

We just got back from a big walk.  DixieLee and I love to go for walks with our humans.  Mom is a big walker and a fast walker too.  Dad, not so much.  He tries to say he walks slower because I have to stop and smell every post and tree and pee 100 times not cuz he is old.

It was hot on our walk today.  The best time to walk is the early morning or at night when it is cooler but that’s not always possible.  There was a nice breeze today but the roads and sidewalks still can make our feet burn so our humans walk on the pavement and we walk on the grass.  We are very careful when we walk on the grass.  Some people put chemicals on their grass to make it look pretty.  Those chemicals are very bad for pets and can make you sick or even died.  Parks are good places to walk because there are usually lots of trees to make shade.  If you have to walk on pavement all the time, you can wear doggie booties to protect your pads.

Dad was sweating a little so he knew to drink some water but dogs don’t sweat, we pant, so our humans need to watch carefully to make sure we don’t get dehydrated.  When we go for long, long walks, we take along water and little bowls that fold up so we can have drinks too.  Mom keeps them in her knapsack but I know some dogs that have vests and carry their own water.

We live near town so most of the time we can walk on sidewalks.  Sidewalks are safer than roads but there are places where we need to walk on the road.  We make sure we walk facing traffic and that we dogs stay on the inside.  The inside is the best because it has the grass but also it is easier for cars to see big humans than small dogs.

Having a good harness or collar and good leash is very important.  We have good non-pull harnesses.  One time a big dog ran off of his yard and wanted to fight with us.  DixieLee was ready and able.  If she hadn’t been on a leash somebody could have gotten hurt.  Make sure you always have your tags on too just in case your humans get separated and lost.

If you do go for walks at night be sure to wear a reflective vest or collar.  There are lots of good products available that are very fashionable.  Be sure your human wears something reflective or at least light colored clothes too.  Have your human bring along a flashlight so other people and cars can see you coming and you can see other animals like skunks or porcupines before you step on them.

Walking is great exercise for humans and dogs so I highly recommend that you take your humans out for a walk as often as possible.  A fit human is a happy human and a tired dog is a good dog.

Be safe out there,

Love,
Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  We know every dog loves treats but why keep them in the closet when you can keep them right on the counter in a pretty tin like My Own Dog Cookie Tin?  It makes begging for treats much easier.