It's no secret that I love my dog as much as many people love their own children. Maybe it's the way his entire body shakes with joy when I walk in the door of my South Hill, WA apartment, or the way he is sure I am leaving him forever each time I disappear into the bathroom. Whatever it is, I know that I mean the world to the little guy, and am therefore compelled to treat him with a similar level of affection.
I do all the typical things to pamper the little mutt. I get the nice, organic bones that cost a few dollars more, because I am sure he appreciates the fact that only cage-free chickens were used to flavor his treats. I treat him to a nice can of wet food once in a while because the way he practically inhales it lets me know how much he enjoys it. And the down-filled dog bed was an obvious necessity. After all, if I won't let him use my feather pillow as his own personal bed, the least I can do is provide him with a bed that is just as soft.
All of those things are fairly normal if you run in dog-centric circles. One thing I have found, however, is not many pet owners pay attention to their pets preference for recreational outlets. Now, I'm not saying that a failure to do so amounts to neglect. It's just that many people don't put any thought into helping their pet exercise beyond simply taking them for a walk.
While walking a dog is certainly an effective method of recreation, it is hardly the only option. After all, when you go to gym, do you simply get your cardio by walking around the building? No, because that's boring. In fact, if you're anything like me, you probably don't even like running on the treadmills because that too, is boring. Many people would much rather get exercise doing some sort of activity like trail running, or playing sports. Our pets are no different.
How do you think your pet feels when the only exercise they get is walking around your apartment in Puyallup for bathroom breaks? Rather than simply forcing my dog to march around Canyon Park apartments, I try to take him to Puyallup Dog Park for exercise. Here he can join me for a jog throughout the park (doggie trail-running) or play a good game of frisbee (the dog equivalent of touch-football).
After we get home from an outing to the park he is more than ready to sleep through the night. And, if you have a dog, you know that a tired pup is a happy pup. I may spoil him, but it keeps me active, so I can't complain too much. At the end of the day, there's no telling what I'll do to show some love to my furry friend.
