How my Dog Inspires Confidence on Solo Adventures

Recently, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the 5 years I spent solo traveling the United States. Before Chloe Rue, my doggo doo bounded her way into my life, I had discovered the beauty of traveling alone. I had found my camper and my truck, and started out on a journey by myself as a traveling occupational therapist! I wrote a post per month, usually, about the grand adventure of it all after I had Chloe Rue. Yet the STORIES from that time keep dropping into my mind lately.

It could be that I’m craving that alone time, since I’ve recently moved in to a truck camper with my life partner, Seth. It also could be that I am craving adventure again- because let’s be honest, when have I not craved a grand adventure? It also could be my mind, plotting another book to write, but instead of young adult fantasy fiction it is: a dogventure book!

In my reflections I keep coming back to how much my confidence grew after I had Chloe Rue. I went from being too nervous to camp in a tent alone (preferring to sleep in a car) to solo backpacking around the beautiful Oregon mountains. It’s amazing what happens when we find ourselves growing into the person we want to be. It’s so easy to let fear hold us back, especially for young women. There are trail tales decades long, of reasons why young women shouldn’t travel alone. I’m not saying we should dive into our dreams blindly- but I am saying we should dive into those dreams. Then when it crosses our mind to reflect on our adventures, it is very cool to see a change from someone alone and feeling nervous sometimes, into someone alone and fearless. I do have to admit though, I was maybe too callous before I had Chloe? Having a dog also made me significantly more aware of when I’m doing the “not so smart” thing.

Today’s post is for anyone who wants to go on solo adventures, with or without your pup, and feels afraid. I am not implying that you need a dog to feel confident when solo traveling. However, I learned a LOT having to be responsible for my Chloe Rue and it did help me grow in confidence significantly.

***Having a dog is a HUGE commitment. It helped me grow in more ways than I could imagine. Do not get a dog if you are not ready for 18 years of parenthood.***

1. Chloe Rue watches my back

Before Chloe came into my life, I traveled to Walla Walla Washington, McAlester Oklahoma (but spent my weekends in the Ozarks of Arkansas), Minnesota of course and The Missouri Ozarks. I had adventures alone in Glacier National Park, the Oregon Coast, Crater Lake, the Red Woods; I explored the Buffalo River of Arkansas and Branson Missouri; the birth place of Mark Twain as well as the National Forest in his name. I COULD not stop chasing adventure. Hiking, exploring new restaurants and churches, dancing and meeting new people. It was such a cool experience. I LOVED my solo travel time. As far as I know I never ran into anything more dangerous than a racoon in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

After I had my Chloe Rue in my life, I kept exploring. You better believe we went hiking at every opportunity, had play dates at restaurants and picnics on the ocean. She is my best friend after all! Though this time, I learned what it meant when she would give me an “alert”. She has this tiny whisper bark, that she gives when she wants me to know there is something happening.

Chloe Rue has alerted me to a man walking up to push trash away behind me. She has let me know about a HUGE herd of elk right outside the camper door. Chloe alerted me to a moose while camping at Voyagers National Park, and she let me know if any marmots were approaching while backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail.

I honestly have less anxiety, and more awareness when I have Chloe with me. Anytime I’m facing away from the environment, she is watching and ready to let me know what is going on. This increase in awareness is a GAME changer. I can’t have eyes on the back of my head- but when Chloe is looking out for me, she is my extra set of eyes. That makes me feel so much more confident when I am out on a solo adventure.

2. A dog bond of trust is ALWAYS reliable

There are a couple times in my life when Chloe expressed anxiety on an adventure. One time in particular was at a campground in Oregon that we were checking out prior to considering setting up there for a while. I had pulled into the campground, and got out of my truck, reading the signs for how to pay, and what to know. It was fairly full of campers, but noone was out and about at their sites. It was a beautiful space as well, with the high, arching Oregon trees and open, grassy fields to explore.

While driving the loop, Chloe would NOT stop showing signs of anxiety. She was pacing back and forth in the truck, whining and panting. I thought maybe she had to go potty, because we did drive an hour and I wasn’t sure if she had gone that morning. When I put her on her leash to go out, she had a very clear hesitation for going out of the truck. This is SO abnormal for Chloe who really does love her walk times- especially in such a beautiful area. The campground had a great rate, but that was my final sign. If Chloe didn’t feel right about it, I couldn’t stay there.

I kept driving, and eventually found my favorite spot in Oregon to date. I later found out that there was a stabbing at that campground the weekend I had driven the loop. Was Chloe just feeling anxious that day? Or did she somehow know that we were in a space that deserved a degree of anxiety? I may never know, but I do know that I will always trust my dog to tell me when something is not right.

3. Listening to Chloe’s behavior has helped me listen to my own gut

Chloe tells me when she’s hungry, thirsty, tired or happy. She freely communicates when she wants to go to the beach, or when she wants to climb a mountain. No, we do not have buttons that use a voice either, though we do think that is very cool (check out Hunger for Words, a speech therapist taught her dog Stella to use voice buttons).

I do believe that using that mini doggy empath skill, of recognizing what your pup is looking for, carries over to your own life too. I notice that I can read human body language better, recognize emotion in my dog and in other people too. I feel that the time I spent traveling solo with Chloe helped me really listen to my own body as well. If Chloe is bouncing around, begging for a beach day while I am stressed about work- maybe I should stop and listen to my body’s stress signals too. Maybe I actually, also need a beach day. It sounds maybe a little strange, to know that this silent communication with my dog has helped me to know myself better. But that silent communication is something I’ve grown to use constantly, every day.

4. It’s important to take care of yourself, just like you take care of your good dog

There have been times when I’ve been on the “low” side of a mood. Moments when I haven’t wanted to get out of bed, or go outside, or really do anything for myself. When I lived in Missouri prior to having Chloe in my life, I let work take over every waking second of my day and barely allowed myself time to actually rest on the beautiful lake side house in the Ozarks.

The thing about dogs, is they go potty outside. No matter where you are in life emotionally, you have to take care of your dog. I’ve found sitting outside, waking in the woods, choosing a favorite “sniffspot”, campsite or hike are all things I can do that Chloe will enjoy. When Chloe is happy, it’s infectious! How can your heart not grow to the size of a Great Dane when your dog is happy? Those little moments where I “have” to take care of my dog, can turn my mood around so effectively.

Dogs are especially wise in knowing how to balance work and life. They need those potty breaks, and daycare doesn’t usually like super late pickup times. Chloe has helped me stick to a work schedule vs working overtime, make sure I take lunch breaks and she inspires me to walk or be outside on those lunch breaks.

There is a lot of research about how dog parents are happier and healthier people. I’ve experienced this in myself. We grew into strong, independent minded beings. We love to adventure alone, but we are also very happy to have found our life partner in adventure and his good dog too.

So tell me- what has your dog taught you on your adventures? Should I write a book about The Adventures of Chloe Rue? We send you all warm vibes from a wintery Vermont and stay tuned because coming soon, we have big news for this next hiking season! (No, it’s not another thru hike, but if you’ve seen my Instagram stories recently, you know the planning has begun 😉) As always, happy trails and happy tails to you!

Barking Embarkers