I love my dog Barbara. However, until recently, I never particularly enjoyed walking her. In our neighborhood, she rarely goes more than a few steps without stopping to sniff. While that might sound adorable, I assure you it’s not. When she sniffs, it goes on and on and on. It seems downright perverted and she usually goes on her sniffing marathon in front of a neighbor. Her antics cause me deep shame.
Furthermore, with Barbara, there is very little exercise to be had. She rarely lets me even take her around the block. Walking her is like sitting in Chicago rush hour traffic.
Until recently.
My kids have music lessons across town. Once I drop them off, I really don’t have much of a choice but to wait for them. I decided to start taking Barbara with me on walks around the Haight Village neighborhood. She loved it and so did I.
I then decided to take her with me on my pre-hikes. The Rockford Fringe leads hikes at least once a week and I usually* pre-hike a day or two in advance of the public hike to map out our route and make sure the trails are safe.
She was a little scared at first but then had a ball exploring the woods with me. Unlike our walks in at home, she didn’t stop every four paces. She just…hiked. Tail up, alert, proud. Sure, she’d occasionally stop to tinkle and sniff, but for the most part, she just enjoyed being in the woods.
Since then, I’ve taken her on a few more hikes. The whole “stop and smell the roses” things seems to be a thing of the past. I think she’s hooked on hiking and now I can’t wait to take her with me.
There are a couple “cons” to hiking with a dog. I’ve had to pull a couple ticks off her and she needs a bath once a week now, at least. But I’m so glad she likes hiking and I can easily say it’s a fun way to exercise.
Thanks for reading! Hope to see you on one of our public hikes. Leashed dogs are welcome — we just spread out to make room for those who bring their dogs. -Connie
Rockford Fringe 