A Fun Doggy Day Out
- Simply Jelly Jam
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Reflecting on the day my dogs and I (all with anxiety) attended a dog walking event.
Recently, my two dogs and I attended a dog walk event supporting SPCA of Texas. Considering Lucy's previous dog walk anxiety, I did not expect to do much. Fortunately, I was wrong.
In case it's helpful, below are the main points covered in this post:
How it Started
My dogs and I recently attended the Strut Your Mutt event organized by SPCA of Texas. This was my first time going to this event, but not my first dog walk event.
I have taken my large dog, Lucy, to the Mighty Texas Dog Walk event organized by Service Dogs, Inc. Because of Lucy's anxiety and my inability to help her manage it, we left those events earlier than I wanted. I figured we would end up leaving the Strut Your Mutt event early as well.
While my old small dog, Rascal, attended numerous dog events in the past, this was his first dog walk. It was also his first dog event without my first dog, Shadow, by his side. I worried Rascal's undiagnosed anxiety would kick in without his old pal to keep him feeling safe and calm.
Lucy and Rascal were excited to get out of the vehicle and walk. However, the verbally excited large dogs triggered Lucy's anxiety. She wanted to turn around and head back to the SUV.
We returned to the SUV twice so that Lucy could soak in the silence. Rascal, on the other hand, wanted to go in the same direction as the other dogs. Because of his excitement, I decided to try getting Lucy to head to the event area without attempting to retreat.
The goal was to take a different route than everyone else. It meant walking longer and further, but Lucy seemed to appreciate the lack of large dogs barking, howling, jumping, and pulling/dragging their owners to the event.
As we got closer, Lucy became distracted by the sights of Fair Park. I learned that Lucy did not fear large animal statues and mascots (people in furry costumes). She was fascinated with everything new.
Rascal became anxious with the loud noises and large crowd. He attempted to run back towards the parking lot while I attempted to take photos of Lucy with an elephant statue. Fortunately, I brought his backpack carrier. He fidgeted for a while but eventually relaxed his body and whined every few minutes.
We waited at a picnic table away from other dogs for a while. I wanted to monitor Lucy before heading into the crowd of dogs and people. After Lucy greeted several dogs that headed past us, we made our way closer to the crowd.
I figured Lucy's demeanor would change when the walk started, but I was wrong.
Walking
We watched the large crowd of happy dogs and people walking through an inflatable arch. Lucy has feared inflatable lawn decorations since her puppy days. I knew she would never go close to the arch and therefore we would not participate in the walk.
After a few minutes, Lucy, who was lying on the ground, stood up and led us to the DJ. She watched the DJ for a few seconds before heading to the inflatable arch. I let her lead assuming she would walk around it, but she led us under it.
The employees and volunteers cheered for us. Lucy was startled by it initially but then wagged her tail because of the attention. We ended up participating in the walk after all!
We, along with a handful of other dogs and their people, were the last to walk. The walk was quiet and peaceful. Lucy socialized with the dogs and got petted by their people. She was especially fond of a friendly pit bull that walked behind us for a while.
Before I knew it, Rascal stopped whining. I decided to let him out of his backpack until he wanted to go back in.
How it Ended
To my pleasant surprise, both dogs completed the entire walk! Lucy licked Rascal's head when he felt anxious. Yet, he enjoyed taking in the sights of Fair Park. Lucy tried to hitch a ride in a golf cart and a pug's wagon but otherwise enjoyed the walk.
I believe Lucy and Rascal did well because they were together. My two anxious dogs kept one another calm and happy. They make a great team.
When we made it to the end of the walk, both dogs seemed to smile as they wagged their tails. I decided to head indoors to the Bow Wow Bazaar (vendor location) since the dogs were not rushing back to the parking lot.
Lucy froze at the doorway. She started to retreat until Rascal nudged her. They walked into the building side-by-side.
Both were nervous but stuck close to me. We browsed the booths despite our close proximity to many dogs and people. Lucy received numerous treats from vendors. One vendor also gave her a flying disc toy. Rascal will not take anything from strangers, so he got a lot of pets from me.
We hung out for a while longer and enjoyed the oddly cool weather that morning. After several hours of excitement, we headed back to our hotel where Lucy and Rascal passed out.
I realized that my dogs best handle new and overwhelming situations together. And to think that I worried they would never get along so well when I first adopted Lucy. Now, they are as inseparable as Rascal and Shadow were. I am a very happy dog owner today.
What's Next?
My dogs and I will participate in future dog walk events including Strut Your Mutt! They seem happier doing things together, so we will focus on doing more together opposed to individually.
Oh! If you were wondering about my anxiety, it is non-existent when I am with my dogs. We all had a great time at the event!
Comment below to share your dog's recent fun outing!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
~Simply Jelly Jam
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