Mindful Dog Walking
You’re walking your dog too, but you’re not really there.
Your dog knows it. I see them looking at me and I smile at them,
hoping you’ll notice me noticing them and then realize that at the end
of your arm is a leash attached to everything you’re busy chasing
somewhere else. You really matter to your dog, you know. If you
pay attention, you might feel how important and appreciated you are. It
feels real good.
I see you with your head down, eyes fixed on your phone’s screen,
one arm fully extended behind you. You’re not aware that you’re dragging
your dog along who is trying to sniff something very important. When
you get home, maybe you realize that you forgot to pay attention to
your dog the whole time you were out. It’s almost as if that walk never
happened.
http://notesfromadogwalker.com/2014/05/14/things-you-might-have-missed/
Posts
This is so true! We call sniffing and marking 'Dogbook' and figure that Strudwick is reading posts when he sniffs and updating them when he marks. Taking a dog for a walk isn't purely about making them use their muscles - you could do that on a treadmill. It's also about letting them be in their environment outside your 4 walls (or fences), and explore it with the fantastic senses they are heir to. There is a huge mental element to walking, and people who just pull them along without waiting for that are only half walking their dogs.
ReplyDeleteDogbook! Love it :D
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