Tails from the trail and tips on training your human

Dogs Make the Best Companions – If you are reading this article, you are probably a dog-lover. Our furry canine friends are not only friendly, but they are intelligent creatures that can make our lives better in other ways. For instance, actively make you healthier by improving your mental and physical health. Wondering how? Keep reading and find out!

Having a Dog Keeps you Active

Dogs significantly increase our daily exercise without making us feel like it’s a chore. Dogs need to be walked, which they will continuously remind you to do (walkies are fun!). You can’t lazy around on a couch when those big eyes are staring at you while the tail wags.

They also make you throw sticks and balls, giving the opportunity for a jog as they run after a butterfly. A regular walk can turn into a whole cardiac workout! This is a great advantage for people who detest exercise or going to the gym. Dogs are highly energetic animals, and they will surely transfer some of that energy to their owners.

Lower Blood Pressure

A study conducted by Harvard found that having a dog can improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. Dogs have a calming effect on their owners, especially when they are kept as pets. They also help people handle stress better, which is why they are the choice of animals for service and help for mental health patients.

Dogs are Therapists

Dogs are extremely compassionate and quickly pick up on their human’s moods. They also know how to calm people and are good at distractions. Talking to animals and cuddling them relieves stress and improves symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks by stimulating oxytocin release – which is a happy hormone. It also reduces depression.

Interestingly, dogs are kept as pets in prisons! They decrease levels of aggression in inmates and promote group cohesion.

Dogs even assist people with disabilities. They are great guides for people with vision or auditory impairments. Dogs also help people cope with PTSD and related disorders.

Dogs Boost Self-Esteem and Lower Suicide Risk

A dog will make you feel like their world revolves around you, and it does! You mean everything to them. Dogs give you attention even when you don’t ask for it. That is a self-esteem booster.

Psychology Today explores how pet ownership may reduce the chances of suicide because many pet owners may not take their own life due to their commitment to their pets.

Good Company

Dogs are highly sociable, and most of them love company. It is unlikely that you will feel lonely if you own a dog. A study by The Conversation found that dog owners have fewer negative emotions as compared to people who don’t own dogs.

Cuddling or petting a dog boosts mood by releasing happy hormones and firing neurons in the brain. Having a dog also increases your chances of talking to other people when you’re out on a walk with your dog. You may feel less lonely because people approach you more often.

Constant Entertainment

Dogs are always up to something and give their owners good laughs and happy memories. Their little quirks, accidents, and adorable discoveries are so fun to watch. You can make videos to watch later when you feel low. Sharing these pictures and videos with friends and families also helps you bond and connect, especially with other dog parents.

Dogs Bring the Family Together

Are you having trouble making your teenage and preteen kids get along with each other? Get a dog! Dogs can help siblings bond and provide a fun time for the entire family. They help reduce the generation gap because they are something people of all ages are enamored by. With technology slowly taking over our lives, dogs can ground us and distract us from our gadgets and bring the family together for a laugh.

Learning Valuable Skills

Keeping a dog requires skills and patience if you want it to be healthy and well-mannered. To train a dog, you need to learn responsibility, commitment, consistency, and various other skills. This can be especially great for children who lack patience. Get a dog as a good training exercise for your hyperactive kids.

Raising a pet allows a kid to learn how to follow a routine, how to keep their pet clean and healthy, etc. They can even learn how and when to schedule an appointment at the vet. With proper supervision and gentle encouragement, your child can learn numerous life skills just by having a dog! Plus, they will always have a friend to come home to.

Dogs Don’t Discriminate

Dogs aren’t racist, sexist, ageist, or any other kind of -ist. They will love you unconditionally and without judgment. It doesn’t matter to them if you’re rich or poor. Dogs will love you with all their heart, unconditionally. They won’t hurt you by leaving you stranded if your life changes in any way. They are far more reliable companions than any human.

Dogs Give us Purpose

Dogs follow a routine and help you follow one too. They will wake you up early in the morning and demand a walk or a hearty breakfast. Dogs don’t let you stay indoors cramped up on your chair watching TV all day.

Dogs Keep You Safe

One of the main reasons people keep dogs as pets is that they are our personal alarm system. They bark when they see strangers approach our house. They even call for help when their owner needs it.

You must’ve read countless stories of dogs saving their owner’s lives by alerting them to a fire in the house, dragging their owners to the shore when they’re drown or calling other strangers for help in case of a stroke or a cardiac arrest. Not only do they keep houses safe, but they keep people safe too!

Devoted, loyal, and affectionate, dogs make the best companions out of all the animals and, arguably, even humans.

by Bobby J Davidson

We are in business to provide great products for the outdoorsy hikers, campers and their dogs; and to help clean our parks, rivers and oceans for a better planet earth for hikers and their dogs.

Parks Clean

Parks are high-traffic areas in most cities. This means that trash is bound to show up in and around your park and playground.

When discussing ways your family can help clean your local park, don’t overlook a literal cleanup! Picking up trash will make a huge difference in the appearance and vibe of your park. A clean area will encourage others to keep the park pristine. When picking up trash and debris, make sure to wear gloves to protect yourself, and put trash in appropriate receptacles or lawn bags. You can also contact your local trash company to schedule a pickup when you are finished.

Rivers Clean

The storm drain on your street collects the water from your roof, driveway, and sidewalk and funnels it directly in your local lake or river. Nutrients from grass and leaves, pet waste, and fertilizers “enrich” our lakes and streams — feeding algae blooms and harming fish. Chemicals from washing your car in the drive and household chemical spills add up, taking a nasty toll on our favorite swimming areas and fishing spots. Soil can also be picked up by runoff, reducing the clarity of water and hurting fish.

So as you prepare your lawn and garden, here are a few helpful tips to keep our lakes and rivers beautiful and safe for all of us.

Use mulch and vegetation to keep soil from washing away.
Sweep or rake grass and leaves away from street curbs.
Mulch and compost grass clippings and leaves.
Keep paved surfaces to a minimum.
Capture water runoff with a rain garden and rain barrels.
Wash your car on the grass, where the water will get filtered.
Keep chemicals away from storm drains.
Collect your pet’s waste.
Aim your rain-gutter downspouts onto grass.

Beaches Clean (do it for the ocean)

In 2007, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Clean Beaches Week Resolution to recognize the value of beaches to the American way of life and the important contributions of beaches to the economy, recreation, and natural environment of the United States.

Clean Beaches Week, celebrated annually July 1-7, offers the perfect opportunity to encourage stewardship and volunteerism along our coastlines. But where do you even begin? Follow these tips to get started.

Identify a clean-up site. Choose a place that needs some TLC, making sure that volunteers can safely access the site. Get permission, if needed, for your clean-up event, perhaps from the local parks agency.
Choose a site coordinator. (That might be you!) A beach clean-up takes a lot of work and needs an organized person to keep everything on track before, during, and after the event.
Visit the site in advance. The coordinator will need to know where to set up a volunteer check-in station, where to leave trash and recyclables, and what area(s) volunteers will clean.
Gather supplies. Depending on your location, you’ll need supplies such as trash bags, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer, wipes, and large coolers of water. You should also provide (or ask volunteers to bring) items such as reusable work/garden gloves, reusable water bottles, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Plan how to handle the recyclables. Reach out to recyclers in your area (and perhaps your community’s solid waste departments) to make arrangements for accepting any glass, plastic, and aluminum that you collect.
Line up event partners. Contact local businesses for donations of drinks, food, and supplies. Ask a local solid waste hauler to donate their services for trash removal.
Plan for handling hazardous waste. Determine how you’ll dispose of any medical and sewage waste you might find. One solution: A wide-mouth container with a tight-fitting lid, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle. Clearly label that it contains hazardous waste.
Get volunteers to help. Recruit friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Create an event on Facebook and ask volunteers to sign up online. This will give you an idea of how many people to expect and will help communicate event details.
Stay safe. Be prepared for a variety of health emergencies, from minor cuts and scrapes to heat stroke.
Take photos! Post pics online to share the success of your event and recognize volunteers for their hard work.