Why We Hike With Our Dogs

If you are a regular reader of our blog, by now you know that most weekends find us doing some sort of hiking.  We started hiking late last summer after we realized that Morgan was going to need a lot of exercise to help keep her grounded.   However, it's more than just occupying Morgan that keeps us going back out on the trails.

I've found that I really enjoy it for a multitude of reasons.  We are very lucky here in Illinois that our state parks are still free.  This means that we just have to get gas in the van to get us there and find something to eat, which makes for a rather inexpensive weekend outing.  It also gives us an opportunity to see some of the most beautiful sights our state has to offer, many of which are hidden gems that few people know about.  Almost all of our state parks allow dogs on leash, too.  I only know of a few exceptions.  Almost all of our national parks are closed to dogs or provide extremely limited access.

There are also other places where we hike, but with so many different state parks, we've been trying to see as many different ones as we can. The important part is that we get a chance to disconnect from the fast-paced world that we normally live in and reconnect with each other, the dogs and ourselves.  It's not the same as the walks we take around the neighborhood during the week.  Our time out hiking is a chance to really leave the stresses of the week behind and spend time with those we really love. 

As soon as the backpacks come out, the dogs begin their merry dance.  They obviously love the time we spend out away from the house as much as we do.  I think it's as important to them to have time with us as it is to us to have time with them.  As soon as we head out on the trail, I see tails wagging and I notice that Bunny will keep looking to me to see if I'm coming and we're really going to go.  After a while, she'll get immersed in smelling things on the trail and looking at things around us, but the first part of the hike she's always looking to see that she's connected with me. 

I don't think that hiking is the only way to make a connection with your dog.  There are lots of ways to do that.  I think the truly important thing is that you disconnect from the things that tend to distract you in this electronic age and learn to engage yourself fully with your furry companion for a while.  What ways do you enjoy spending time with your pets?