ON-THE-GO WITH FIDO: LIFESTYLE A OR B

My dog Django took a shine to long walks once a day when we moved out of NYC – like 90 minutes walks with the others being 5 to 20 as a general rule. I think he figured he’d cover more ground that way to best explore his new turf.

Then we got him a rugged wagon he could hop in if we were in a rush and far from home. Low riders like Django can walk slooooooooooow. Well, he took a shine to the cart, too. He’d sit there like a prince being chauffeured around and he’d nod to the other dogs walking by like “yup, check out my tricked out ride.”

I developed a new understanding of the schlep factor moms of young kids deal with when they’ve got the stroller and the kid wandering and the bottle and all the stuff.  

When we moved back to a city, that pup-mobile was way too wide – like those double-wides for twin toddlers that block your path when you’re in a rush. So we had to trade it in for a new model. The urban cart.

And now it’s parked in our foyer most of the time, but that tater tot loves getting in there everyday for a nap. In fact, it soothes him so much (in addition to being back in a city with neighbors in case you have to bark for help) that he can be found passed out cold upon our re-entry. Then he’s like “oh, hey, you’re back?”

But this is no small feat. He had major isolation anxiety when we moved the first and second time. We worked on it and rarely left him alone, but it dawned on me that he really preferred the urban lifestyle – with access to nature, of course. And so do I. Now we’re back in an environment that makes us more comfortable.

What about you and your dog? What’s your lifestyle? What’s your environment? Do they suit you both? If there was one thing you could do to improve them, what would it be?

So is that one thing something you CAN actually change? Maybe you can’t move or stop the construction across the street, but there must be something you can do to make home more Zen or your routine more relaxing.

Meditate on that over a dog walk. You might also find some ideas in my free dog wellness guide. Grab it on the home page.