Today is Earth Day. Every day is Earth Day when you’re a dog who lives outside as much as possible.
I’m Jasper, and I want to talk about the outdoors. Specifically, what it means to be a dog who gets to be outside a lot, and why that matters.
What I Get to Have
I live part of my life in an RV. This means I’ve seen a lot of this country from a dog’s-eye view. I’ve camped in forests where the trees are so tall I can barely see the sky. I’ve walked trails where the only sounds are water and birds. I’ve sat on the edge of lakes at dusk and watched the whole surface change color.
I don’t take this for granted. Not every dog gets this.
Some dogs live entirely inside. Some dogs get one walk a day around the neighborhood. Some dogs have never smelled a forest or stood at the edge of a creek or run through a field with enough room to really go fast.
I’m lucky. I know I’m lucky. This is something I think about.
What Outside Means to a Dog
Here’s what I want humans to understand about what being outside means to a dog.
It’s not just exercise. It’s not just “doing my business.” It’s not just a chore to get through before coming back inside to the couch.
Being outside is where I’m fully myself. My nose is doing what it was built to do. My legs are moving at the speed they want to move. My eyes are tracking things that matter. My brain is engaged in the actual interesting work of being alive.
Dogs are built for outside. When I’m inside, I’m a dog using approximately 30% of my capabilities. When I’m outside in a good environment, I’m running at full capacity.
What I’ve Learned About the Outdoors
After years of RV trips and trail walks and yard patrols, here’s what I know.
Clean water is everything. When we hike to a place with a clear stream, I drink from it and the water tastes different. Better. Like it came from somewhere. I’ve also drunk from gross puddles and I know the difference. Clean water matters.
Big trees are special. There’s something about old growth forest that feels different. It smells older. Denser. Like things have been living there for a long time and left their information behind.
Quiet is good for dogs. A lot of my life is surrounded by noise. Cars, voices, machinery. When we’re somewhere genuinely quiet, my whole body changes. I settle differently. I breathe slower. Even I can tell the difference.
Wildlife is not mine to chase. I know this. I don’t always practice it. But I know it.
My Earth Day Ask
Go outside. Not just your yard. Somewhere bigger. A trail, a park, a beach, a forest. Take your dog if you have one. Leave it the way you found it.
The places I love most exist because someone decided they were worth protecting. Because someone kept them clean and didn’t build on them and let the trees keep growing and let the wildlife keep living.
I’m an outdoor dog. I live outside as much as I can. And the only way I get to keep doing that is if the outdoors keeps being worth going to.
That’s my Earth Day speech. I hope it lands.
Now let’s go outside. 🌿