Hiking Is The Best

Before I get into the actual topic of this post, I would just like to point out that the Cleveland Browns won their game this past Thursday night!!  I have been a Browns fan for several years now and last season was a rough one.  The Browns joined the ranks of the Detroit Lions with a win less regular season.  As I am not a bandwagon follower *cough*Ducks Fans*cough*, I have stuck with them regardless of what they're record is.  With that being said, it feels really good for your team to win a game after such a rough season. 

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog post.

Hiking really is the best.  It's good for the soul and it's good for the body.  I have read other dog bloggers who have stated the many benefits of getting out into nature and I've also heard a podcast recently extolling the benefits of grounding for your pets.  For me, personally, I need it to feel more balanced.  I'd love it if I could go on a hike every morning, but drive time and work are not currently compatible with this.

Yesterday Tanner, Dom and I went hiking with a few friends and their adorable dog Ginger.  Much enjoyment was had and areas that Dom could use some confidence boosting on became abundantly clear to me.  Bridges are not Dom's best friend.  There were a couple of bridges that you would expect on a hiking trail and Dom was not a super fan of them.  He got over them, but there was much encouragement and it definitely wasn't a quick process.  It's been kind of a recurring theme since Miley passed that his confidence level has gone down a fair bit.  At times when Dom was feeling uncertain, he would literally lean on Miley.

Without the physical support of Miley, Dom is now having to find his way and is floundering a little bit with it.  Some areas I feel better equipped to help him through and others I'm figuring it out as we go along.  And I'll be honest, there are times where it's frustrating for me.  There are moments where I can't stop the thought of "he was fine with this when Miley was around."  I can't fault him, but that doesn't mean that it's always easy.

I'll continue to try to be mindful of the hikes that I take him on and work on the areas that aren't as easy for him.  It's great physical and mental exercise for him and it's something that I can't live without.  I just need to remind myself that he's not Miley and what he brings to the table is different and unique.