Ushering in 2018 - The Year of the Dog: How to Regain Your Zen and Stop Worrying About Your Dog

Part 1 in the Dog Blog series

My dog is a mutt. No ifs, ands, or butts about it. He's a Shepherd-Lab mix, and my husband and I got him from a local SPCA event when he (my dog, that is, not my husband) was only three months old. His mom was a beautiful black lab, but we never saw his dad since the mom had been surrendered while with pups.

Now, I have a lot of pets: three cats and two rabbits—but only one dog; it's not for lack of trying. Last time I went to the shelter to look for another dog, I came home with cat #3. And the only reason I have rabbits is because my dog found an abandoned bunny in my backyard.

A few years back, I took my dog along on a trip to hang out with my brother (who, by the way, has a purebred, very neat and regal-looking Vizsla that can run for miles and miles and still look very neat and regal). After spending most of the day in the car, with me and my brother in the front and my dog firmly planted in the backseat, contentedly looking out the window the whole time, my brother declared that my dog was "distinctly un-eventful." And it's true—my dog has a calm kind of attentiveness to him. He has a remarkably patient soul and never complains. Also, he's great with people but barks at statues of people, and he has a deep-seated distrust of discarded hubcaps.

For the better part of the past five years, I've been telecommuting (yep, working from home), with my trusty pooch asleep under my desk. But now that I'm back in the office, my dog is alone at home. Well, he has the cats and the rabbits, but it's not the same as having human company, right?

So I found myself wondering if my dog was going to be bored/lonely/sad while home alone all day. Being a not-all-too-ambitious dog, I was pretty sure that his near-term career goals consisted of being able to hold not just two but three tennis balls in his mouth at the same time. Still, one wonders and worries: am I doing my dog justice spending so much time away from home?

I also started looking for ideas on how to get more quality time with my dog after work and during the weekends. Even though he is now a senior dog, favoring shorter hikes and a slower pace, he still loves the outdoors, chasing squirrels, and snow.

In my quest to be the best dog owner I can be, I decided to bone up on dog hobbies and activities for senior dogs. And to my delight, I found a bunch of cool resources and ideas, which I've distilled into the following...

3 Easy-to-Follow Pooch Rules:

And to give credit where credit is due, here is how I got my Zen back about my dog:

• For figuring out that I should let my dog be a dog and do dog stuff: Be the Pack Leader by Cesar Millan
• For insight into what makes dogs tick: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz
• And because dogs are awesome just the way they are: A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Don't miss the other intallments of The Dog Blog series from Linda:

• Part 2: Be Like Your Dog and Enjoy the Simple Things in Life
• Part 3: February 23 Is National Dog Biscuit Day: Don't We All Need a Treat Sometimes?
• Part 4: March 13 Is National K9 Veterans Day – 'Nuff Said!
• Part 5: April 17 Is National (Dog) Haiku Poetry Day
• Part 6: May 6 - 12 Is National Pet Week
• Part 7: June 22 Is Take Your Dog to Work Day!

Read more by Linda Vandercook