Trail Notes

Friends.

Family.

Dogs.

A toddler.

One hopeful idea.

We didn't know exactly what Dogs Walk You would become that morning.

We only knew that bringing people and dogs together felt like something worth trying.

Looking back, we realize we weren't just taking a walk.

We were taking the first step.

When I adopted Tug Malone, she was just eight months old—a rat terrier with a funny little nub tail and enough energy for three dogs.

At the time, I was a college student living with depression. Tug didn't know anything about diagnoses or difficult seasons of life. She only knew there were trails to explore, birds to watch, rocks to climb, and sunshine waiting outside the apartment.

So every day, she invited me to come with her.

Those walks became something more than exercise. They became a rhythm. A reason to step outside. A reminder that the world was still beautiful, even on days when I couldn't quite feel it.

Tug had an adventurous spirit. She treated every fallen log like a balance beam and every boulder along the creek like her own little parkour course. In her later years, I liked to joke that she had taken a part-time job at the local REI, offering expert advice on hiking gear and outdoor adventures.

I still miss her deeply.

Looking back, I realize Tug wasn't just my first dog.

She was my first Dogs Walk You.

Without ever meaning to, she taught me the simple truth that would one day become this community:

Sometimes the one who most needs the walk isn't the dog.

Dogs Walk You didn't begin with a logo, a website, or a nonprofit.

It began with one dog who loved the outdoors enough to keep inviting her human into the light. 🐾💚