“Well, this is cool!” - Watson (probably)

Adventuring with Watson:

One of the things I valued most in 2023 was going on adventures with my dog and our friends. Some of them were pretty small (walks to local parks), some were medium (exploring neighborhoods and parks we had to drive to), and some were a lot bigger (hikes upstate, beaches, friends' homes). No matter the size of the adventure, the benefits to the people and the dogs were infinite.

Adventures don't have to be days or even one whole day long. The beach adventure above was a quick half day.

It's the little dog adventures for me.

One of my favorite adventures last summer was when a friend picked came early on a Friday morning to drive me and Watson to Staten Island. We walked some short, paved paths through the wetlands. We saw only a handful of other people. My friend gave me all kinds of information about the birds we saw while Watson sniffed and sniffed and sniffed some more. Then we got some Italian ice and some whipped cream for Watson and headed home. The whole adventure only took about 3 hours and Watson and I were happier, calmer, and better behaved for several days after we got home.

It's been cold, rainy, and hectic in the beginning of the year. I kicked off Jan by getting COVID and being laid up for over 2 weeks. So, the adventures with Watson have been closer to home. Fortunately, he thinks that's fantastic!

Watson enjoys coming to client sessions so I look for ways that he can be helpful. One of my clients, Lando, loves dogs and is afraid of the outside world so Watson comes to help him feel braver about exploring the outside world.

On Lando days Watson and I get picked up by Julie of Pawsome Pupstars. (Are you seeing how helpful it is for us to have generous friends with cars?) We bring the breakfast sandwiches and Julie drives us to Lando's neighborhood. We eat our breakfast in the car once we've parked and Watson gets a little bite of our sandwiches.

When Lando comes out Watson greets him and heads up the block. Julie handles Watson and I work with Lando and his family. We wander up and down the block following Lando's direction. Watson gets love from Lando's people, from folks on the street, and occasionally from passing dogs if Lando gives him a moment for that. Lando loves all dogs and he gets first dibs on dog greetings since it's his session, after all.

After Lando goes in we pile back into Julie's car and she drives us home. Watson heads upstairs, has a long drink of water, and crashes out for a many hours nap! I have to sit down and write my recap email so my nap has to wait, but that's ok. It's easier to do that when I know that Watson has had some solid enrichment fun already.

What kinds of adventures would you like to explore with your pups this year? I'd love to hear all about them. I promise to share more of mine on my Instagram.

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