Archive for the ‘Dog Walking’ Category

5 easy ways to walk your dog, mindfully

→   Leave your ‘agenda’ at home
Whatever it is, give it a 15 minute hiatus
→   Practice breathing - real breathing
It’s amazing how repeated, deep, three-part breathing (think: stomach first, ribs second, upper chest third - and HOLD), even for a brief time, relaxes your body, slows down you mind, takes you to WHERE YOU ARE NOW - What a concept!
→   Focus your mind SOLELY on your dog(s) - sniffing, watching, tasting, touching, licking, rolling over! Just for 15 minutes. Keep breathing, deep ones!
       •   They are the model: smaller brain, bigger sensory capacity = less thought, MORE ALIVENESS
→   Pesky Thoughts - let them in, let them out, don’t react, don’t evaluate; slap your face, if necessary! Put them on hold for JUST 15.
→   Think/Act like your dog: PANT heavily; Life is NOW; PAW the ones you love; Every moment is the MOST Important one; Smelling everything the world has to offer is the SWEETEST scent of all!

So…I leave you with this:
Life is short, so we must move very slowly.
Thai Proverb

Miss Jane’s Asheville Cat Chat & Dog Blog

Walking Silas and Rosco early one morning last week, I got to thinking: dog walking is something lots of people do in Asheville.  Lots of ’stuff’ happens on these walks, mostly wonderful, some not so good. I dog walk (and pet sit) many different breeds for a living, from toy breeds to terriers to labrador retrievers; I care for puppies to senior dogs, healthy to very sick; I talk to many pet owners, hear their opinions on everything from veterinarians to obedience training, and I learn lots from their experiences.  I know and work with many other pet care providers, from groomers to homeopathic vets to animal communicators to local animal welfare organizations including www.chainfreeasheville.org and www.friends2ferals.org. In the coming weeks and months I’d like to share AND hear from you about your dog love, and cat chat about all the mysteries of our feline companions.  It’s all good, isn’t it!