Having Fun With Your Dog: It’s Kinda the Whole Point!
by Lynn Stacy-Smith
When I was a little girl I was so shy that to even say hello to my kindergarten playmate out in public was sheer torture. Flash forward forty or so years and I have been told I have a “strong personality” that overwhelms some people. Although I initially took that as somewhat of an insult, I realized it was not meant to be mean, and that I am proud of that strong personality and that it is one of my strongest tools in the proverbial toolbox of life. After all, I am a New Jersey native with a slew of really awesome people in my family tree who helped me develop that strong personality, all I can do is own it. Plus my husband, dogs and kids like it, so that’s a win!
I realized yesterday that my content of this blog has been so serious and sometimes intense, propelled by my passion for sharing information to help dogs and that strong personality. I suppose it’s the nature of being on a mission to help people create a happy, healthy lifestyle for their dogs based on the lifestyle I strive to maintain for my own dogs. I have so much information to share and am not even remotely close to running out of educational topics, and I want to make sure that every dog owner I can reach has this important information that I have learned along my own journey as a dog lover.
Maybe I have never put it out to the world like this, but the whole mission behind my obsession with creating a happy, healthy life for my dogs is that Jackson and Tinkerbell showed me that I could have multiple heart dogs, multiple soul dogs, in my lifetime. When Babe, Dutch and then Maggie all passed away, my heart was crushed like on the fictional show Once Upon a Time. If you watch that show you know that the villains will reach into a person’s chest cavity, pull out their glowing, beating heart, and crush it into black dust. That is how I felt as I watched first Babe, then Dutch, then Maggie, take their last breath on the floor of the veterinary clinic, that my heart was disintegrating into black dust. Jackson and Tinkerbell are the heroes who shared their hearts with me and inserted a part of their glowing, beating hearts back into my chest and who are now a part of their very soul.
As a result of this bond with both of dogs, my motivation for creating the healthiest lifestyle possible for them is that I do not want to feel the pain of losing a dog anytime soon. A healthy life, a safe life, a life with good food and as few toxins and chemicals as possible equates to a longer life in my mind, and the longer their lives, the longer we can share our love for each other, our friendship that spans our species, our heart dog and human relationship. My motivation is for them and for me, so that they can enjoy their lives and so that I do not have to feel that feeling any time soon.
What I’ve forgotten to talk about lately is that having fun is a huge part of a happy, healthy lifestyle for your dog and for you. Having fun has a positive impact on your mind, body, and soul. So while organic food and using vinegar to clean carpets and kill weeds are extremely important topics, so is sharing fun times and laughter with your dog! And contrary to my instinct to back it up with a study or a link to some research, I am just going to throw it out there that having fun and being happy help the overall health of everyone involved! And isn’t that the whole point of having such an energetic creature as our best friends? Having fun with dogs is kinda the whole point!
Back when I was single and dating I would often get asked on first dates what my hobbies were. “Uh….” was normally my response, followed up with , “My dog, I guess!”
“Your dog??” I would receive in response with a look like I was a crazy dog lady. “Yes, my dog! My hobby is finding fun things for us to do together!” Of course that might have helped weed out the Mr. Wrongs who weren’t ready to choose the crazy dog lady, leaving a clear path for me to find my husband who incidentally included a walk for Babe and Dutch in his plans for our first date.
When you are a committed, loving dog owner, your dog is essentially your hobby, at least if you work full-time or have other commitments like children or running a household. There is only so much time in the day and when you have an active breed dog, your hobby is probably going to be hiking or walking with your dog, playing with your dog, doing an organized sport with your dog, or other dog activities.
My dogs are a lot of fun to be around, they both love to go and explore new places. Tinkerbell is a high energy crazy girl, so silly and loving and a little bit nuts, but in a controlled obedient sort of way except for a love of jumping that we are still working on through training. Jackson is pretty chilled and lovable and as sweet as they come, always watching my every move with his serious, soulful expression. I am excited to share more of the fun that we have with you, my awesome friends and readers, and ways that you can have fun with your own dogs, mixed in with the serious topics and information. So stay tuned, thank you for reading, and if you have ways that you have fun with your dog, send an email to lovelaughwoof@outlook.com and we can feature your life with dogs in an upcoming post. Now exit this screen and go have fun with your own dog!
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