Small Dogs can be Mountain Dogs Too

Animals are some of God’s greatest gifts to us, especially dogs! I believe that they can teach us so much about life, if only we would listen. I take pride in giving our Yorkshire Terrier Rue the best life we possibly can, and totally consider us dog parents. As much as I try to bring as much happiness, joy, and love to Rue every single day-she always gives it back to us in overflowing ways. Rue is beyond special to us, in fact she is what makes us a family. Simply stating that we love her does not even come close to describing the relationship we have with her, and our family dynamic. My appreciation and love for Rue is always amplified in the Fall because September 9th is her birthday, and October 29th is the day we met her and brought her home.

If you are blessed to be loved by Rue, you know that it probably wasn’t the first time you met. I often introduce Rue by saying that you have to meet her 5 or 6 times. She couldn’t possibly be more loving, but she is certainly slow to warm up! However, I’ve found that I’m actually describing myself here too! Rue has many typical personality traits of a small dog, and a terrier for sure. It takes the right person to love these types of small dogs, and I am so thankful that I am one of them. Small dogs and terriers can often be misunderstood, not so unlike how I have felt many times in my life. We love Rue through and through, for who she is. She might be small, but she is certainly mighty!

When out exploring Colorado with Rue, we’ve received too many surprised looks on trails to count. To everyone surprised by seeing Rue with us, our response always is that Rue would be really upset if she had to stay home. The truth is, our Rue loves the wilderness. She loves the trees, mountains, trails and all of the fresh air smells that come with. She is full-spirited, determined, and fierce. We just wouldn’t want her any other way! Rue’s got quite a pocketful of adventures under her belt and many more to come. From camping in Aspen, hiking at the Maroon Bells, almost summiting a 14er in the snow, visiting the wine country of the Western Slope and all of the Colorado National Parks-Rue’s been there with us. Without Rue accompanying us, we’d be missing out on the pure joy, love, and abundance of happiness and laughs that she brings to every single day.

If you are a dog parent yourself, here are a few tips I have learned.

1. Do you walk your dog at a park? Be careful of harmful chemicals and toxins in bright green grass at parks. The pads on dog’s paws absorb these harmful chemicals and toxins. I don’t take Rue to typical parks often because of this, but I also rinse off her paws when coming home.
2. Did you know that there are many natural foods healthy to dogs? I love giving Rue an organic carrot or spoonful of organic pumpkin as a snack or treat!
3. Do you brush your dog’s teeth? Brushing your dog’s teeth is important for their overall health. I brush Rue’s teeth nearly every day, and rarely miss a day.
4. Have you heard of BarkBox? BarkBox is a really fun subscription box for dogs full of toys and treats with different themes. You can sign up for a 1 time delivery, 6 month delivery, or 12 month delivery. We’ve done the 6 month BarkBox for Rue in the past, and right now she is spoiled with the 12 month BarkBox. She looks forward to receiving her BarkBox every month and it is so fun to watch her open it!

I have a twist to the common saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. How about “don’t judge a dog by its size”.

In the Spirit of Adventure,

Demie