It's sunny with a high of 75 and I'm happy to have a pup by my side. Ahhhh, sweet spring. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the weather is absolutely perfect. With the spring comes one of Bumi and I's favorite activities... hiking! Last week, Bumi and I talked about his haircut and bath for the spring and just a week later we're able to get him all dirty again... how wonderful. On the brightside, the spring breeze is going to feel purrrrrrfect! "WOOF WOOF WOOF!!" What's that, Bumi? Wrong animal? Sorry, the spring breeze is going to feel pawfect! Better, Bumi?
Gear
Enough water for both you and your dog. I usually bring around 32-64oz for a couple hour hike. Try to hold your water in reusable containers. We want to lessen our ecological foot print on this Earth!
Plastic tuppleware bowl for Bumi to drink out of. Once again, we want to use gear that can be used everytime we hike.
Food to keep your energy levels high. For Bumi, I pack a bag of his favorite treats. For myself, I usually make a trail mix out of almonds, sunflower seeds, granola, and dried bananas.
Hiking shoes/boots to give yourself support and traction. Bumi does not have boots, but hiking boots for pups do exist.
A leash and full body harness. Bumi isn't off-the-leash trained yet (post coming in the future). But I mean, what do you expect? You want me to let a monster run loose and terrorize the world?
Plastic bags for when Bumi decides to leave a gift for Mother Nature. You might even be able to repurpose (gross, I know) that lovely, brown gift if you have digging problem at home though.
A hiking pack to carry everything with. How else would we carry everything?
Last, but definitely not least, a dog ! Grab all the gear, the nearest pup you see (hopefully it's yours), and hit the trails.
Red Rock
It's still a little too cold to hike at Mt. Charleston, but the weather is perfect at Red Rock Canyon. Better yet, it's only about 15 minutes from where we live and extremely dog friendly. "WOOF WOOO" I know, Bumi! You love going to Red Rock because they give you a treat everytime we enter, huh? I know, Bumi, I know! Red Rock requires dogs be kept on a leash at all times, but that's perfectly fine when wanting to keep a monster tamed.
Typically, me and Bumi go hiking by ourselves, but my father decided to join us this time. He made it a lot easier to document this hike. We parked in Red Rock a little past 9am to beat the noon hiking rush. I had work in a couple hours so there wasn't much time for a serious hike. My father, Bumi, and I decided on the 1.5 mile Willow Springs trail because I've never done it before and we were on a time constraint. There is very little elevation gain and, in my opinion, this trail is easier than a walk in the park.
Bumi has gotten better over the past year or so at hiking. He used to constantly want to sniff and pee on things. I didn't take Bumi on a hike, Bumi pulled me on a ride through the canyons. Hiking for Bumi was like aliens visiting another planet. He just wanted to explore and take over the canyon. I was able to tame the beast a bit by using a full body harness. They're a great way to keep control over pets who enjoy to tug and pull...like Bumi! The harness surrounds his front legs, chest, and back, instead of around the neck like a collar. Basically, it gives me more leverage to prevent him from running around like a monster. There is a great article by The Upper Paw explaining the best uses for collars and harnesses. He only wears it when going on walks and hiking, both activities that he absolutely loves, so putting on the harness is no problem. He looks forward to it and knows to be on his best behavior. Life with the monster would be so much easier if I could have him wear the harness all the time.
It was a short and sweet hike through the canyon. Bumi enjoyed being able to walk with Dad for the hike and behaved exceptionally well. We ended up jogging for most of it to attempt to tire Bumi out and it worked! By the time we made it back to the truck, Bumi was pooped. We rehydrated and gave Bumi a couple of snacks before leaving. The second we opened the doors, Bumi hopped in the back and took a nap for the rest of the drive home. He even managed to keep napping a whole HALF HOUR at home before getting all his energy back. It was one of the greatest 30 minutes of my life. That's not true, but it's always refreshing to see a napping pup.
You have to love Dad's photography skills. Classic dad move with the fingers in the shot.
What are some your favorite spring time activities with your dogs? Leave Bumi and I a bark in the comments letting us know! Who knows, maybe that's how we'll spend our next weekend! Remember, leave nothing but your paw print the next time you go hiking!