It’s hard to believe that in December of this year it will be 3 years since starting the All Good Dogs group dog hiking and dog walking business. I’m so pleased with how this business has grown over the years. It’s been so wonderful to meet new people and dogs and bring happiness into the world one dog hike at a time!
We are pretty full for dog hikes on most days… I don’t like to take groups larger than about 8 dogs at a time. But I’ll always take requests for new hikers and things seem to ebb and flow… allowing new dogs to join the hike groups as they come along. If I feel that I have too many dogs on one day, I just split the group into two and end up doing two hikes that day. Win, win!
My business has expanded to include South Jordan/Sandy/Draper one day per week in addition to Davis County two days per week. Mostly, I take dogs in the central Salt Lake City area, but when a dog comes along that lives outside of our central area, it’s hard to say no! Dogs just wanna hike! I’ve also seen some of my leash walk dogs “graduate” to group hike status, which is really heartwarming. Seeing them interact with other dogs in the pack is really neat. They socialize and know their spot in the order. Watching them grow mentally as well as physically is very rewarding.
Most days I’m so busy with dog walks and hikes, that I don’t do much dog sitting in my home anymore. I’ve also been fostering more dogs for CAWS, so I don’t want to add the extra stress on a client dog having to get along with a new dog in my home. I’ll always consider Petsitting my client dogs though, so definitely ask if you are in need of this service.
I’ve been really fortunate to see my business grow despite the Covid pandemic. I keep things safe by picking up dogs with minimal human to human interaction (I usually try to stay in the doorway area), and social distancing is always a priority in homes and out on the trail. I wear a mask if I am walking in a busier area of town or in a busy park where I might have closer contact to people outside of my bubble.
Please ask me about my pricing if you are interested in having your dog join our pack. Email: allgooddogsslc@gmail.com or comment on this post and we can talk rates and specifics. Thank you!
Exciting new development in the past week! I contacted Ali, the owner/manager of 
I came up with a new flavor of treats and made a short video about it. “Something Tropical” is what our new Banana-Coconut treats are! And the dogs love them. Honestly, they smell so good baking in the oven, I want to eat them! They are made with real bananas and coconut oil. It is believed that 
I’ve been pouring over dog treat recipes on the internet and experimenting with my own combinations. Some go over with the dogs a lot better than others. The first batch of treats that I made I thought turned out pretty great (I tasted one of them, and although a little bland, I thought it was pretty tasty). I gave one to Mocha, one to Charlie and they were like, “Yeah, I’ll crunch on that.” (They are pretty non-disriminatory eaters. They will both also eat dirt in the back yard.) And then I gave one to Charlotte the pup. She held it in her mouth for about 5 seconds and then dropped it on the floor. She looked at me with pleading eyes, “Must I?” I told her it was good, that she should give it a chance. She took it in her mouth, hid under the bed, and reluctantly crunched away.
It’s not to say that everyday is a perfect day: some days are more chaotic than others. We definitely have our moments in the mud. But on the whole, things are running really smoothly and the dogs know that I’m their pack leader, the other dogs are members of their pack, and that we all should stick together.
I’ve also come across a handful of disgruntled trail users along the way: people who complain that our hike group is to big, we are in the way, that “something bad could happen.” Well, I have this to say: before you judge us as “bad dogs” (which we are definitely NOT), take a moment to actually watch us move as a pack. I guarantee that if you slow down a bit, watch us, and display the same trail courtesy that we give to you, you will not be disappointed in your interaction with us. The people whom we interact the best with on the trail are those who display mutual respect. We will gladly move out of the way of passing mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners. When the passing trail user gives us a moment to do so, it makes things that much easier for everyone.
It’s been 10 days since Franklin left us. I have felt the void since he died, and I’ve been really pretty down, but not as depressed and sad as I thought I would be. That’s probably because he lived such a full life and I really felt like in those final moments, it was his time to go over the Rainbow Bridge.
I’m not a salesperson. I will never try to sell someone something that they don’t need or want. If I ask a couple of times and someone doesn’t seem interested, it’s really hard for me to be persistent enough to possibly convert then over to my business. I don’t want to pester someone to the point of making them frustrated with me.
Happy Trails!
All good dogs & the adventures of missy B 