Dog Days Of Summer
In one of my previous posts, Hydration For Kids I talked about the importance of keeping cool and well hydrated while playing outdoors. Unfortunately what’s sometimes overlooked are our pets. Dogs can suffer the same problems kids do, like overheating and dehydration.
To help your dog get through the dog days of summer try filling up a kiddy pool with water. 
Skadi, taking an afternoon dip!
Here are some other quick tips that I got from msnbc.com
- Always have fresh cool water available
- Bring your dog indoors during the hottest part of the day
- Provide a shaded area in your yard
- Never leave your dog in the car
- Be aware of hot surfaces like sand or asphalt, these can harm your pets paws
On the Hiking With Dogs post I mentioned the packable dog bowls. This is a great way to be sure your dog stays hydrated when on the go!
What are some things you do to get your pet through the dog days of summer?
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Top Tens
Today I thought I’d share some “Top Tens” with you that correlate with the purpose of Nature For Kids.
Drum roll please….
Gorp presents ten camping commandments to build excitement about the outdoors in kids.
Dog Behavior Online provides 10 ways to exercise a dog
And last but not least…
turnoffyourtv.com gives the top 10 frequently asked questions concerning why you should turn off your TV.
Let Nature For Kids know if you learned anything that will stick with you!
Doggy Boarding
Nature For Kids, I believe, can be enhanced by having a faithful dog to explore it with. I grew up with a Great Pyrenees. He followed my brother and I on many of our wanderings. When we’d go sledding he would put his front paws on the back of the sled and push us along with his back legs. I’ve introduced you to the dog we have now, Skadi. When cross-country skiing with her and the kids I’ve often contemplated hooking up a harness system and having her pull the kids along. But here’s something I never considered…doggy boarding. check it out!
What’s some of your farvorite things to do with your dog outside?
Hiking With Dogs
Nature For Kids Introduces…Skadi! A 50 lb. lug of hairy licking lovingness. We named her after a Norse snow goddess and ironically her name means “destruction”. Like any dog she has definitely destroyed many a things at our house ranging from shoes to a hot tub cover. But even though our dog has her downfalls we still love her and take her almost everywhere with us! 
Skadi is a yellow labrador retriever. She’s about two years old. She’s beginning to show signs of intelligence and control but her puppiness still shines through occasionally.
Skadi loves the outdoors. Knee deep snow, heavy brush or winding trail, she’s there. When we begin to put things in the backpack and put shoes on she’s turning in circles and heading for the door with excitement.
Our latest hike with Skadi was to Mary’s bathtub, a steep boulder-strewn incline which follows a small creek. At the end there is a tall waterfall and cave. It lies near Joe’s Reservoir, close to Huntington, Utah.
Before we even hit the trail head she was wet and muddy up to her haunches. She spent a lot of her time nosing through brush, zigging and zagging across the trail, sniffing out an earlier passerby. When she got thirsty she went pouncing into the creek lapping up the cold water. And of course she periodically would shake the water all over us. She was good about roaming and exploring and then coming back and checking in with us though. Because of the boulders we had to climb over and the steep incline, by the time we got back to the car she was exhausted. She slept all the way home.
Even though she is a dog and has natural outdoor instincts, I highly doubt she could survive very long in the wild. We try to prepare for her. We have a handy packable way to store food and water for her. We have these dog bowls, designed by Outward Hound, made out of fabric, gore-tex I believe. The top bowl holds food and has a draw string cord to keep it closed tight. Another bowl attaches under that bowl with a zipper. When she’s thirsty and we’re not near water we simply unzip the bottom bowl and fill it with water from our Nalgenes. Much more convenient and appetizing than letting her try and lap up the water while we pour it from our own water bottles. We usually throw her bowls in our backpack when going on longer hikes. But usually we just leave it in the car.
It makes me smile everytime I see Skadi in her natural surroundings. She reminds me of a little kid playing in a sandbox. She truly loves it. And I’m glad we can provide that time in nature for her.
I’ll be posting some more about Skadi and the equipment we like in the future. But until then let Nature For Kids know about your dog! Leave a comment about your dog’s favorite spot or what equipment it uses. Later!
