My name is Monica Callahan, and I completed my first official marathon on March 5, 2022 with the help of my dog, Orio. I am a professional dog trainer (Family Fido LLC) in the Myrtle Beach, SC area. I’m the owner of five dogs, mother of two children, wife, and part-time employee at Fleet Feet Myrtle Beach. I began running in 2015 when my son was a little over a year old.
“The Hero Dogs” is currently comprised of our two registered therapy Dalmatians, Orio and Quint. Orio is 3.5 years old and Quint is almost 3. They have both been therapy dogs since they were about 1 year old, when they could officially test to be a therapy dog with Alliance of Therapy Dogs (www.therapydogs.com). Orio and Quint have done a variety of therapy visits at places like schools, libraries, fire stations, police stations, Cub Scout programs, the airport, and more.
Place boards help your dog stay in one place. But why on earth would you need a fancy piece of dog training equipment when you could just teach your dog a solid stay? Let’s be honest, though; teaching a dog to stay can be hard work. Most of us end up constantly nagging the dog to “stay, stay, stay…” as we slowly back away and pray that nothing super distracting happens.
Earlier this week, I was working with my dog, Dot, on some advanced training. Overnight she went from having an awesome training session where I though we turned the corner on some things, to going in the complete opposite direction. One thing we can easily overlook as dog owners is, just like people, dogs have off days.
Bear, Kashi, and I have been traveling the country full time for about three months now. Our journey to get here was not easy, but the puzzle pieces kept falling into place making it possible for us. We try to spend as much time as we can exploring, but we weren’t always the adventurous family.
“It’s going to be a long night,” I said to my husband, as the dog whined at his bedside for what seemed like the thousandth time. She had a ball in her mouth and a crazed look in her eye. She wanted to play. She was not sleepy. It was 2 a.m.
If you plan on spending any time in the backcountry or just outside adventuring with your pup, you will soon realize it is a good idea to have a first aid kit. This can range from very basic to very stocked depending on what types of activities you are doing.
The next episode of our Mitkof Island adventure series begins at the base of a majestic peak known as Crystal Mountain. The unmarked trail to Crystal Lake begins at the hydro electric plant next to the Blind Slough Salmon Hatchery.
My dog Barley is five and a half years old. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like he’s a bit slower on runs than he was when he was three and a half. Of course, he’s not exactly an old dog – I’m hoping he’ll have another eight or more years of happy, healthy life. But I want to keep him young and healthy for as long as possible.
With record-breaking colds hitting the United States this winter, many of us are left scrambling to exercise energetic dogs. Even if your Siberian Husky loves cold weather, it’s not safe outside for long in negative temps.
One of my favorite things about January is looking forward to planning my adventures with for the coming year. I always try to get outside and do something fun with my border collie Barley a few times per week. Whether we’re trail running, hiking, or just tossing a ball in a new place, we love exploring!
If you ever find yourself island hopping around Southeast Alaska, be sure to plan a stop in the quaint little town located on Mitkof Island called Petersburg. My Wife Marissa and I, and our dog Finn, are constantly looking for adventures nearby.
