Let me start by meowing this: Jerry Underfoot & I are cats. Our hobbies include napping in sunbeams, judging your life choices & pawtending we don’t hear huMom when she calls us; unless of course there is food involved. So imagine our surprise when Olivia revealed to us just how complex & serious dogs get about their walks.  We nosed Olivia was a Pawfessional Stinkologist but we didn’t nose other good dogs liked stinks too.

Most humans think dogs go outside for two reasons, exercise & to do their business. That’s cute. But we’ve learned (by observation from my perch on the window sill, of course & what Olivia told us) that there’s something deeper going on. For dogs, the outdoors is basically an olfactory opera—every scent tells a story, every patch of grass a chapter in a novel I’ll never bother to read.

When Olivia & Eddy would head out, it wasn’t just a “walk.” It was a nose-led dogventure. They didn’t see the world the way us cat’s do—with our superior feline eyes, attuned to movement & detail. Nope. They would smell the world. Olivia blew our furbulous minds when she told us, according to science, canines have hundreds of millions of scent receptors to do just that. Humans, bless them, only have a measly six million. It’s a wonder huMom can smell anything at all.

 

The Dog Nose Knows

Olivia once told me (between naps) that a scent or as she called it a stink walk is like checking her social media feed. Each lamppost smells of who passed by, what they ate, what mood they were in, & get this, probably when it’s going to rain. Dogs can even dogtect changes in the weather & the passing of time through smell; something Jerry Underfoot & I argue is unnecessary, since we always know when it’s meal time (the only time that matters) anyway.

Olivia went on to yap that some dogs even have careers built entirely around their noses. They track lost people, sniff out diseases, help scientists pawtect endangered specie; basically, they use their snouts for good. Meanwhile, I use mine for the impawtant task of detecting whether the food huMom is purrparing is worth jumping on the counter or not.

 

The Human Mistake: Rushing the Sniff

Jerry Underfoot & I couldn’t believe that most humans have a bad habit of hurrying through walks, tugging impawtiently when a good dog stops to smell something fascinating (to them; likely repulsive to me). But this is like forcing someone to flip through a book without reading. Scent walks are meant to be slow, self-directed explorations. When you rush a sniff walk, you rob your good dog of what makes the experience wagnificently enriching.

A pawper scent walk lets dogs choose their own path, linger on pawticularly interesting stinks, & engage their minds fully. Olivia yipped, during walks, she & other good dogs transforms from a ball-chasing goofs into something resembling an investigative journalist or for Olivia, a Pawfessional Stinkologist.

 

 

The Science of “Sniff Fatigue”

Here’s a fun fact I didn’t expect but Olivia told us; sniffing isn’t just mentally stimulating, it’s exhausting in the best way. After a thorough stink walk, Olivia & other good dogs collapses into their beds like they just ran a marathon. The mental energy it takes to pawcess all those stinks can tire a good dog out as much as sprinting at the park, which means fewer incidents of destructive chewing & fewer holes in our backyard. Win-win.  Olivia never would dig holes, she was only interested in SQUIRRELS!

Another thing Olivia said was, for dogs with mobility issues or those of a certain advanced age, a gentle stink walk can still pawvide mental stimulation without overexertion. She yapped that it was impawtant to keep an eye on a good dogs comfort, the same way huMom watches me & Jerry Underfoot to see if our napping schedule falls behind. (It never does.)

 

From a Cat’s Perspective

While I pawfer lounging to leash work, I must admit, dogs might be onto something. Sniff walks aren’t just walks; they’re full-sensory experiences that feed their minds, not just their bodies.

So, next time you take your good dog outside, slow down. Let them read the world the way they know best—through stinks. Me & Jerry Underfoot will be in the window, watching, tail flicking in amused approval… & maybe a hint of envy.

After all, if the world had more patience for curiosity, like dogs on their stink walks, we might all find life a bit more interesting.

 

🐈‍⬛Remember it’s Black Cat Awareness Month🐈‍⬛

 

Have a purrfect week!

Remember to be gnawsome, be kind & stay safe.

Dot & Jerry Underfoot😻 head boops 😻

                                  Remembering CEO Olivia & Eddy forever🐾💜🐾

 

 

PS 🐾 Looking for wagnifient healthy & furbulously fun toys or pawsibly a supplement for the well being of your pawtacular good dog or cat? Shop Naturally

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