Take A Hike

It’s summer time in Northern New Hampshire. Majestic is the word Mom likes when she describes New Hampshire’s mountains.  I know, the Rocky Mountains are nice, but, being New Englanders we think we live in the most beautiful part of the world.

Every summer people from all over the place come to hike our mountains.  And every Monday morning our newspapers are filled with reports of people who have gotten themselves lost.

I usually don’t pay much attention to such reports but this weekend a lady was rescued after she got herself lost when her dog bolted off the trail and she went looking for her.  The lady used her cell phone to get help and her dog found some other hikers who took her to safety.  Luckily it was a happy ending for all but when you realize that New Hampshire has something like 4.8 million acres of forest land, getting lost is very serious.

We do a little hiking, mostly at a place called Cherry Pond Reserve because it is close to home.  It’s only about 125 acres and has really well marked trails but Mom and Dad are very careful when we go there.  I can go off leash for most of the walk but DixieLee is NEVER off leash.  She’s a hound and if she gets on a scent, she could end up in Canada.  I worry because she doesn’t have a passport so she won’t be able to get back into the USA!

We follow trail regulations and practice good etiquette.  Well, most of us do.  DixieLee thinks everyone is her best friend and, even though she is on leash, tries to run at people and other dogs.

We always give non-dog hikers the right of way.  We step off of the trail and wait for them to pass by.

Even though we are in the woods, Mom still brings poop bags and cleans up after us.

Our hikes are only a couple of hours long but we still bring bottled water and a small bowl to drink from.  And we are not allowed to drink from the pond or any of the water we find along the way.

Cuz our hikes are short we don’t need a lot of equipment but I know some dogs who have their own backpacks and have to carry food and water and even a first aid kit with them.

We don’t hike on very hot days either.  Dogs need to be in top physical condition to go on hikes so older or sickly dogs might enjoy a day at a dog park more than a hike up a steep mountain trail.

I hope you get to spend some time out of doors with your humans this summer and if you are vacationing in Northern New Hampshire, we know you will have a great time!

Happy Trails

,

Your friend,

Zeva

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Dogs Really Are Man's Best Friend

As you might imagine, my job as Chief Canine Officer of the company requires me to be quite internet savvy.  The other day I was surfing the net and came across a site called Soldiers Best Friend  The organization provides military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with a trained Service or Therapeutic Dog.

How great an idea is that!  And it gets even better!  Most of the dogs chosen to be trained for the program are rescued from local shelters. I love these people.

It's about time humans realize how much we dogs help them.  For years, dogs have been trained to help humans with special needs.

Children with brain injuries, ADD/AHD and children with all kinds of physical and mental challenges relate much more quickly to dogs than to humans.

Seeing Eye Dogs allow blind people to get out into society by being their owner's eyes.  Other specially trained dogs know when a person is going to have a seizure or is going to have a diabetic reaction, even before their humans knows and they alert the person so that they can take appropriate actions.

Therapy dogs visit nursing homes, making the lives of the residents more enjoyable.  Often the elderly in homes miss the companionship of pets that they have had and a visit from a therapy dog is much appreciated.  Hospitals have welcomed therapy dogs for some time and many are now allowing patient's own pet to visit.  We've known all along that dog kisses are the best medicine and it seems that doctors are starting to figure it out.

Just because the ordinary family dog doesn't have specialized training doesn't mean we aren't the best friends a family could have.  We provide love, comfort and protection  No squirrel can get in my family's yard without me sounding the alarm and my sister DixieLee is a world class cuddler.  Who could ask for more?

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self promotion.  Looking for a special gift for your very best friend?  I bet he or she would love a gift basket from Paw Pals Boutique.  Check out our website today.