A few people have asked about how I take Hari for walks. So I thought I’d bring you along for one. https://twitter.com/blairbraverman/status/1353808175598686208

So, normally Hari lives in the garden. It’s a big fenced-in area, and he’s learned every inch of it, so he can run around freely even though he can’t see. We bring other dogs to visit him, and they play together on his turf.

He also loves running in harness, especially with his fellow retirees.

But sometimes we just wanna go for a walk in the woods.

We rarely walk our dogs on leashes, because they’re good at staying close to us, and we’re lucky to have these beautiful woods to explore together.

Obviously this poses a challenge for Hari. How do we help him explore freely, but safely?

It’s simple! I talk to him, so he always knows where he is in relation to my voice.

audio:

woman’s voice: “Hey, do you wanna walk?”

The sound of snow crunching under boots as Hari prances away.

“Hey Hari—“

Hari runs over.

“Good! Yeah, you found me! We can keep going. Good boy.”

He likes to circle back frequently, get pets, and then go right back out to sniff things. I warn him if he’s getting close to bumping into something, but otherwise, as long as I can see him, he can explore wherever he wants.

He always knows where I am, and how to find me.

(One thing we’ve learned the hard way is that we cannot bring Flame on walks with Hari because she gets jealous.)

On this walk, Hari really enjoyed playing in the thick powder at the edge of the trail.