Tag: dog

Falling Behind

Happy October Friends!

This is one of my favorite months. Mornings are cool on my paws, but by afternoon, the sunshine warms my coat. Big oaks shoot down acorns like pellet guns for eager squirrels, and evenings creep in early — often before I’ve finished my after-dinner patrol.

October is funny that way – both hurried and hushed. Weekends roar with visitors from the big town, cars piled high with apples, pumpkins, and hay bales, only for the streets to fall quiet again midweek. Farmers follow a different rhythm: fields grow inch by inch under patient hands, yet when harvest comes, their work bursts forward, rumbling through the night and leaving the morning air sharp and crisp. Time seems to stretch and snap back all at once.

With all this paradox swirling around me, I needed to curl up on my cushions and think this all through. As my mind began to drift, I could hear squirrels rustling nearby — some frantic, some leisurely — each with their own rhythm. Similar to the trees, that let go of their leaves in their own time.

All that slow-and-steady push and pull reminded me of when I trotted alongside my hooman in the Oktoberfest 5K. My first big race. I was so excited that I watered just about every tree in the park. The music thumped, the energy crackled, and I stood side-by-side with my pack, unsure what to expect. The countdown began: 3…2…1…GO!

Some hoomans shot out of the gate like greyhounds, their long legs eating up the track. Since I’m a terrier-beagle-blue-heeler kinda dog, my legs moved, but I wasn’t covering much ground. My hooman seemed fine with the racers ahead, and soon we settled into a steady jog.

As the miles went by, I noticed that some pups slowed to a walk, then picked up again once they caught their breath. No two strides looked the same. Hoomans on the sidelines barked, “Keep going!” and “You’re doing great!” — which made my tail wag. I realized then that we’re all in the race together, no matter the pace. Each of us found our own rhythm and our own way to finish. No one was “late” just because they weren’t leading the pack.

I think that is October’s lesson for us, too. It’s okay to move at our own speed. Not racing to keep up. Not holding back when we’re ready to leap. Just trusting our stride, savoring our season, and remembering that what’s right for me may not be right for the dog beside me.

So friends, as we wag our way into October, let’s not worry if we fall a bit behind. Instead, let’s take cues from Mother Nature and the racecourse. Trust that our pace is the right one. Some days bounding, some days strolling, sometimes paw-sing for a good sniff — but always remembering: the goal isn’t to keep up with the pack. It’s to enjoy the run, the season, and the moment. 🍂🐾

Thanks for trotting along on my canine adventures. I’ll bark back atcha in November!

Your friend, 

Keeping Perspective

Hello friends!

Well, when the clock sprang forward into daylight saving time, my hoomans took the leap into springtime projects! They didn’t waste any time and got straight to it with family get-togethers, sporting events, and celebrations. The months of April and May whirled by in a cloud of pollen, baseball, and caps & gowns. This left a lot of time for me to get out exploring! I hosted celebrations of my own as the woods came back to life with frogs, ferns, and fawns!

As I sat creekside preparing to share my springtime adventures, it dawned on me that Spring is already over and we are full-on into Summer! I guess I must have lost the tracks of my time! I know I spent quite a bit of it inspecting wildflowers. Wildflower discovery is one of my ALL TIME favorite adventures. This Spring, the Trillium grew to be as big as my HEAD, and the violas were bursting with all kinds of colors. Heck even the Jack-in-the-pulpits were super-sized this year. Or where they….?

As I inspected these colorful newcomers to my woods, I checked them out from every angle. As I did, I learned sometimes you see what you expect to see. Sometimes, things look different up close, and sometimes, things can appear completely opposite. Even the Maidenhair ferns cast illusions. Are the stems black or invisible? I can almost trick my eyes into seeing the leaves floating on no stems at all. Are they magical? 

Of course ferns are not magical silly! And the trillium is not really the size of my head needer. Just because things are shown in a certain light, it doesn’t make it a reality. There are so many different ways to look at things. Oftentimes, we see things just a bit differently from each other. Sometimes things are cropped out so we don’t see the whole picture – and never really know what’s going on. Sure, we all like to angle things in our favor, but nobody has it exactly right all the time. 

So, friends, as we move into the season of summertime socializing, let’s remember to keep things in perspective. Be open to looking at things from each other’s point of view. If you do, you may be surprised how much better you understand your friends and how much bigger the world will become to explore! 

 I’ll bark at you next month.

Your friend,

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Spring Breaks

Hello friends! 

It has been furever since my last adventure! My hooman had a setback a few months ago and needed some recovery time. So, my canine adventures were put on paws for a little while. When my hooman doesn’t feel well, it is my duty to sit by her side and supervise the healing process. My canine cure is to watch my hooman VERY closely and never let her out of my sight. So, to speed up the process, I sat ON her until she was well enough to go exploring. 

It wasn’t easy giving up my adventures and sticking by her side. I was tempted more than once to venture out without her, but I patiently waited (and waited and waited). Although it took longer than she originally promised, the day finally came when she got back on her feet, and I had the chance to get out exploring. I couldn’t wait to see what changes old man winter had made in my neck of the woods.  

As I trotted down my tree line trail for the first time in 3 months, my heart thumped with anticipation of what I would discover. I had forgotten how great it felt to have the cool mud squish between my toes and sniff the fresh smells of the pine and hemlock trees. Even though I’ve walked the path a thousand times before, the first hike of the season always fills me with wonder and excitement. Once I reached the bottom of the hill, the creek gurgled a familiar “hello” as the old oak trees seemed bowed down, welcoming me into the shadowy woods. I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. “Hello, creek”, I whispered. “It is good to see you again”. 

Isn’t it amazing how returning to a familiar place can bring you back to vivid memories with all the feelings to match? Every step I took echoed a memory of past adventures. Like the time when my nephew Disco saw the creek for the first time and the joy I felt that he liked my creek as much as I do. Or the day I discovered a red-tailed hawk’s feather, and the awe of knowing that such a cool bird lives in the same woods I get to explore. So many thoughts and emotions filled my heart. I really missed this place, and I could not believe I went so long without it. 

I wondered past my thinking log, where so many times I have contemplated many of life’s challenges. I trotted past the dog brushing station (still littered with my old dog hair), and warm thoughts of my hooman caring for me filled my heart. I ducked under the frog tree, now sloping into the water and groping at the river bank. The familiarity of knowing I will discover a tree frog clinging to it on summer days gives me hope for warmer days to come. I thought of my hoomans. The ones that are with me and those that have gone on to other adventures – and I thanked the woods for letting me enjoy all the time we had together there. As my mind continued to wander down memory lane, the sun began to set. I knew even daylight saving time couldn’t rescue me from the fact that my hiking time was up. So I bid good night to my woodland friends and turned my tail toward home, my heart full of hope for future memories I get to make.  

So friends, as spring breaks and we all get moving again – be sure to mark your adventures with memories. Take pictures in your mind. Then take some time to wander down your own memory lane and be grateful for all your adventures past.

Thank you for joining me on my Hiking Jack Canine Adventures. Please invite a friend to subscribe, and I will bark at you soon!

Your friend, 

P.S. Check me out on the social scene. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and see what I am up to throughout the week! If you missed any of my past adventures – you can find them on my homepage. Thanks for visiting!

L♥️ve Language

February is our month friends! ♥️

Canines are known for our powers of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, and I have learned that some super smart hoomans (called scientists) have been studying this for years! For example, did you know that just by petting my canine coat, I help my hoomans relax? Yup, I come fully equipped with calming powers. Apparently, another study showed that simply spending time with a dog like me can lower hooman blood pressure, slow their heart rate, and even improve heart health. I know. I’m impressive.♥️

Now I am not a scientist, but I too have tested all kinds of ways to show my hooman love. Since this is the “love month”, I thought I would share some of my favorite love languages. I use these daily to let my hooman know she is a very important person in my life. ♥️

I guess those scientists found that canine heartbeats can synchronize with our owners’, and create a “calming connection”. I am not sure if my heart beats the same as my hooman, but I do try my hardest to help her out by lying completely across her body. Kinda like a 60-pound weighted blanket. I think that by pressing close to her, I am helping her know she is safe with me (and not going anywhere). I like to think of this as my Physical Touch Love Language, also known as Full-Body Commitment. ♥️

Another easy way to show my love is to stare deeeeep into my hooman’s eyes. I guess those smarty science peeps did some research and discovered that a nice long canine-2-hooman stare releases oxytocin, which is the “love hormone” that reduces stress. So I try to stare at my hooman when she is in the kitchen so she is nice and relaxed while cooking up those tasty treats. This is my Quality Time Love Language, especially effective when food may be involved. ♥️

This last strategy can be a risky one. If you try this one, do your homework. I have found bringing my hooman a slipper usually gets her to smile. A couple of times, I brought her what she loudly told me was her “work shoe”, and she did not smile at all. So – proceed with caution! This is my Gift Giving Love Language, and like all gifts, presentation matters. ♥️

So friends, there you have it. A few simple ways I show my love. Most canines do this naturally, but if you are new to expressing affection, just start slow with a tail tap and work your way up to becoming a full-size weighted blanket. Seriously, though, it doesn’t matter HOW you show your love, only that you DO. February is a great reminder, but love is an everyday adventure. Now get out there and let those you love know how important they are to you! ♥️

Bark at you next month!

Your friend,

P.S. Check me out on the social scene. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and see what I am up to throughout the week! And if you missed any of my past adventures – you can find them on my homepage. Love ya!♥️

Rising from the Drop

Happy July friends!

Can you believe only three short months ago the hoomans were acting like April Fools and we were all eagerly anticipating the first spring blooms? Now here we are – frog hunting and cooling our bellies in the creek. The lazy hazy dog days of summer have arrived!

As I laid creekside thinking about summertime – I have to say it is a magical time to live in the “mitten”. Almost completely surrounded by water – Michigan has so much to offer. I once heard you can stand just about anywhere in the Great Lakes State and you’re no more than six miles away from a body of water. This works for me since I am a swimmer dog!

Swimming season is one of my favorite seasons – but it does bring some occasional aches and pains. I’m sorry to report I ended up with a double ear infection due to too much swimming! Splashing, retrieving and going in over my head – resulted in ear drops in EACH ear EVERY night for two weeks! Grrrrrr! But as I doggy paddled around in my swimming hole, I realized I still wouldn’t trade summer night swims for anything.

Sometimes we just have to take the good with the bad. That is not always easy to do. In the case of my ears, at first it was hard to find any good about it at all. I didn’t feel well and getting those drops every night…well lets just say I finally snapped! Shortly after I did that, my hoomans started adding treats to my nightly eardrop routine. So although the drops still stung – those treats made the whole experience a bit easier to swallow.

Once my ears were better, I realized how grateful I was to have the pain gone. I felt like I could paddle with the big dogs and my canine adventures seemed even more dangerous. I guess having to go through something bad – somehow made my good times even better.

So friends as we celebrate the lazy hazy days of summer and all the great things that come with the month of July – realize you may have to put up with a few mosiqutos. Not every hike will be easy but it’s getting through those ruff patches that can make the good times even better.

Thank you for reading my canine adventures. I hope you share them with a friend and they make your day a bit brighter.

Bark at you next month!

Your friend, 

In memory of my pal Buster who crossed over the rainbow bridge in June. Although I miss him dearly – I am grateful for the fond memories of all our past adventures.❤️