Before my eyes open, I can feel his breath on my face. His nose pressed as close as he dared without touching my face. He senses I’m awake. My eyes are still closed, but he knows the rhythm of my breathing as though it were his own. I smile. Slowly, I open my eyes, squinting from the bright sun pouring in through my window. It’s barely 7 am, but the Alaska sun is high in the sky.

You’ve just hiked a vertical mile. You are at the crest of your favorite destination, prepared to relax and take in one of your favorite views. You settle in to rest with your hiking partner, your dog.
Can you imagine the dog you have with you?

Did you imagine yourself with a poodle?
No? Well then, I encourage you to keep reading so I can alter your imagination a bit.
Take a minute, and get yourself comfortable while I tell you what makes the standard poodle the ideal hiking partner you never even knew you needed!

It’s spring in Alaska. And you wouldn’t know it to look at the snow still on the ground. This winter gave us more snow than I’ve seen in well over a decade… and I have loved its visit. But the sun is returning and our days are getting longer. The snow is starting to melt, too slowly. I know though, like a guest who sometimes overstays her welcome, so too, the snow will eventually leave.It was to these mounds and mounds of snow that my thoughts went when I woke up in the early hours of the day. Bryce and Jupiter were at the end of their patience with the COVID-19 home isolation imposed upon their daily routines. I smiled to myself as I declared this day a day of play.