Exercising a Dog in the Big City

Owning a dog, particularly a large dog, in a major metropolitan area can be a bit of a challenge. Cities are designed to fit a lot of people and businesses into a concentrated area, meaning fewer dedicated green spaces for dogs to run around, play, socialize, and do other dog things important for their overall well-being.

I have had Igneous for just under six years now, nearly all her life. We lived in Santa Barbara, California for three years followed by Marlboro, Massachusetts for one before we moved to Boston—our first big city. While living in Santa Barbara and Marlboro, getting outdoors was easy. I had a car; there were plenty of parks, beaches, or hiking trails we could head to before, during, or after work. On average, we spent three hours a day in nature with her running around.

Moving to a Big City

When I had the opportunity to move to Boston for a new job, there was no question that Igneous would be coming with me. She was, after all my child and my metaphorical rock (pardon the pun) through all my most challenging obstacles in life. And of course, when I moved to Europe, getting her across the ocean safely and with as little stress as possible was my top priority. The day I brought her home, I promised to take care of her, protect her, and to provide her with the best possible life I could.

Could I have provided a better life for her in the countryside? Probably not. Igneous would probably have a significantly better life if living in the countryside was an option for me, but unfortunately, finding a job there that allows me to make enough money to live on and to provide her the life I want for her is challenging.

Adapting to the Challenges of the Big City

Since packing up my Rav4 and moving to Boston in December 2016, I have moved to two other major cities in two other countries, Milan and Brussels. In each of these three cities. I ran into several challenges:

Limited green or dedicated dog spaces: Within a city, there are only so many parks that have a dedicated dog area or allow dogs to run around off leash. Dogs can exercise when leashed, but it makes it challenging for them to play with each other or to run around enough to tire themselves out.

Not having a car: I sold my car when I moved to Boston. Driving in each of these cities, and therefore owning a car, was impractical. For the past two years now, I have wholly on public transportation. However, I underestimated how challenging it would be to move with a dog throughout the city to get to places she could run around off leash.

Weather: Alright, this is not specific to big cities. It frequently snows and rains in cities outside of California. When you don’t have a car and have a limited number of green spaces for dogs, weather can be a major obstacle to taking the dog out to exercise. During winter, when it snows, it can be more of a challenge to motivate myself and/or my partner to get out to a large park to let Igneous run around for extended periods of time.

Less time: I don’t know what it is about big cities, maybe it is the commuting, the opportunities, the events, or the exhaustion that comes from living in a city, but at the end of the day, I always feel like I have less time to do the things I want to do than when I lived in a smaller city.

Strategies for Overcoming these Obstacles

Flexible hours

Working from home gave me the best flexibility to balance my workload and my responsibilities as a dog mom. I would take Igneous out for an hour to an hour and a half walk in the morning before work, an hour walk at lunch, and a third walk until she got tired after I was finished.

In my current job, I have flexible hours throughout the day, which I use to take Igneous on a walk in the morning before getting to work. In the near future, I will have the option to work from home a couple days a week or during these flexible hours as well, which will allow for us to increase our outdoor activities as it gets darker in the coming winter months.

Lunch breaks

I am fortunate enough to live close to my office. I walk home for lunch to eat and to take Igneous out for a walk. This saves me money, gives me a break from sitting all day, and gives her a break from napping all day.

After Work

After work is when I have the most time to take Igneous out; however, it is often dark when I get home since Belgium is now starting to get dark around 4:30. This makes visiting parks dangerous, partly for me but mostly for Igneous since she is difficult to see at night and loves chasing any of the nocturnal animals that come out when the sun sets.

When it is too dark for the park after work, I like to grab my running shoes and take her out for a bit of a walk followed by a long enough run around the neighborhood to tire her out.

Weekends

Weekends are a unique opportunity, especially when in a new area. Of course, I do not know all of the best places to take her, but with the available public transportation options and all the interesting cities, parks, and hiking trails around Brussels, we have plenty of opportunities to explore.

So far, I have found an incredible off-leash park with a bunch of trails and other dogs for her to play with that isn’t too far from our house. On the weekends, when the weather is nice, we try to hop on the tram to make sure she gets some off-leash time.

If the weather is pretty dismal, we often head to the local park with stricter leash laws. When it is raining, fewer people are outside to be bothered by us letting her off leash in a contained area and tossing a stick for her.