A Taste of Freedom

Anyone who owns a dog wonders what dog heaven must look like. Would it be an exact image of their life, as they love us so profoundly? Perhaps it’s filled with unlimited food, chew toys, and squirrels? I’ve imagined all those options…that is until I decided to adventure with my two dogs.

I adopted my first dog while I was living with my parents. To top it all off, I was also a busy college student that did not have a clue how to manage her own time to save a life.

There she was, a small two month old German Shepherd Mutt that lived in a small crate in a shelter. She had her back turned towards me, she had sad puppy eyes, her head was lowered, and her fur was filthy with her own feces—It was love at first sight, literally. I took her home and named her Zelda. To me, she was a little warrior princess so the name suited her well.

As she grew up, I only taught her the basic commands, over socialized her with people, and never socialized her with dogs or new places. She grew up being quite fearful of everything except humans. In fact, she loved humans so much she would immediately run to them if she were to get loose. She trusted them too much. But they didn’t trust her at all. It was very difficult bringing her along anywhere I went. She was reactive towards dogs, pulled on the leash, and I was embarrassed. I wondered, “what kind of owner could be embarrassed of their own dog?” But I was. I spent less time with her and more time in college and with friends. Somehow, she’d still get excited… she’d still love me. Zelda deserved a better life.

Two years later, I moved out. Had my own apartment and Zelda finally became an indoor dog. I made it my mission to give her the best life. Without a backyard, I needed to find a way to exercise her. Hiring a trainer was not an option. I knew I couldn’t afford it, but I didn’t want to give up so I did my research, watched more YouTube videos than I can count, and trained her myself. It took lots of patience and a lot of tears. But she became the best dog. Not perfect, but she was great. A few months later, I brought my second dog home. A male red Doberman puppy I decided to name Bucky. They immediately hit it off.

Learning from my mistakes, I trained Bucky as soon as I brought him home. Once he was fully vaccinated, I started taking them both to the dog park. They enjoyed it, yet I could tell they were missing something.

I began looking for dog friendly hiking trails and the next time Zelda and Bucky got in the car, we drove to one we have found to be in the same park we’ve been to many times. Their heads immediately poked out the window—their noses twitching as they tried to capture all the new scents.

Zelda and Bucky started whining in excitement, pacing back and forth as I parked the car. I felt nervous. I’ve never taken them to such a large open area filled with wildlife. I wasn’t sure if all the training I’ve done with them would work now that they had discovered a new world.

I grabbed their leashes and took them out. They immediately began sniffing the ground, wagging their tails in excitement. I walked deeper into the trail. Avoiding people and other dogs, just to be sure. Once we were far enough, I made them sit. I held tightly to the clasp of their leash and held my breath. They only needed to hear one word. One word and I would release them into an unknown area. One word that would help me understand whether they were ready; whether we were ready.

Break.

Zelda and Bucky took off. They ran, wrestled, and explored. I called them back and they returned. Their eyes where glimmering with excitement. They loved it and I relaxed. I could trust them. I could start adventuring with them.

They had gotten their first taste of freedom. They were able to dig, track smells, chase birds and squirrels. They were able to be dogs. They were the dirtiest they’ve ever been, and they were proud of it.

I was happy—we were happy. We walked alongside. Zelda and Bucky getting ahead a few times. But that was fine. All our hard work had paid off. Our bond had grown stronger, too.

We explored other trails, went camping, took road trips. My dogs and I were living the life we dreamed of, and we still are. We keep finding new places to hike, new state parks to explore. I want to give them a life full of enrichment and freedom. A life that’s just like heaven to them.

They’ve had their taste of freedom and who am I to deny it to them?