Hiking, running, exploring, hunting, backcountry skiing. It’s difficult to think of any outdoor sports that are not more enjoyable with dogs. After about fourteen years of mostly hiking and running with dogs, we have collectively decided on our favorite spots: Stansbury Island The Wild West still lives in Utah, and it is found on Stansbury Island. Not for the faint of … [Read more...]
The Secret Lives of Dogs
Spiritual author and mindfulness teacher Eckhart Tolle calls dogs “guardians of being” because when we look into their eyes for brief moments, we forget our inner turmoil, distractions and thought noise, and we “exist in the moment as they do.” We can learn this important lesson from dogs because they always live in the now. Irish Setter living in the now? Not … [Read more...]
Running In The Utah Mountains With Dogs In Deep Snow
They nudge and prod me out the door. Joey will escalate his pawing into a smacking until I relent and we get into the car and go. Joey is my four-year-old Irish Setter. Scamps is my three-year-old golden. He is tall, she is small. We humans try to capture nature in photos, painting, and songs. In our attempts to preserve our experiences we diminish their value … [Read more...]
The Joy of Hiking with Dogs
There is no better hiking companion than a dog. My dogs are my personal trainers. If I don’t regularly hike with them they proceed to tag-team beat me into submission. Joey will start with a gentle nudge, he then proceeds to the giant tongue in my face. Friends have described Joey has the “Gene Simmons of Irish Setters” and he isn’t afraid to use his weapon to maximum … [Read more...]