Walks: they do a body (and mind) good.

The early morning hours. The time of day where the rest of the planet seems to be sleeping. The time of the day where it feels like the world belongs just to you (and your dogs). The time of day where one can just "be" in the moment. Free from negativity. Free from thoughts of politics...or work deadlines...or e-mails...or hate. It's impossible to comprehend hate when all that exists in the space and time of your universe in that instant is you, your favorite person, and two smiling Shetland Sheepdogs.

I like the crisp, clean autumn air. I like the sound of leaves crunching under our feet, only interrupted by the occasional rhythmic hum of a passing car's engine. I like our morning walks even more now that daybreak happens just a little earlier. I may be biased, but Henry's coat looks stunning in the warm sunlight.

Sometimes we walk a mile. Sometimes we walk close to two. It depends on the day. It depends on the weather. During the week, I often find myself walking a mile loop in the mornings (especially if I'm working from home). On weekends, walks are extra special. We may go to a nearby school where soccer fields are set below street level providing a safe enclave to let the dogs off leash. When we go to the school, we run. We play. Our unofficial dog park.

Our walks are much more than walking. We train. I like to call it "urban agility." A curb can be more than a curb. Put a target down, and now you're practicing the 2 on/2 off training method for contact obstacles. "Watch me," elicits a turn of a Sheltie boy's head instead of a lunge toward a passing car or a nearby dog. Paws up on my arm brings their warm fuzzy faces closer to mine. These games we play. We have many of them.

"Urban agility" - using a curb to practice 2 on/2off

And sometimes, sometimes the soccer field gifts us with a wayward traffic cone, which we creatively use to practice "getting out."

We walk again. And then we practice more.

These morning moments are never mundane. New training opportunities always arise. Today we may ignore passing cars; tomorrow we try to display manners around other dogs. We're still a work in progress, you see. But with every walk we play, we learn, and we savor the minutes of just us, together.

With every walk, we bark less. And, we smile more.