Dogs maybe humans’ best friends… but they also help to increase our longevity, health and happiness… Who knew!
Get up, let dog out. Get up, let dog in. Repeat. All. Day.
But what are you going do? Those big eyes, wagging tail, slightly tilted head. It’s hard to say no to your pooch. Especially when they want to go for a walk.
Our dog is named Louie. The lovely outcome of a random cross-breeding accident between a Poodle and a German pointer. Born with an unruly grey and brown furry mane. He’s 90 pounds of happy, and more human in character than K9.
Louie, like most furry four leggers, possess the power to motivate. Their ability to make us drop the remote and lace-up our walking shoes is second to none.
At our home we avoid saying the “W” word in his presence or pulling the leash from its hook too early for fear of his tail clearing a coffee table or denting our drywall. How can you say no to that level of happiness?
If your home is blessed with this type of furry folk, well, for all the getting up and letting the dog in and out you’ll be happy to know the health benefits of having human’s best friend are endless.
Who knew, Louie is helping us live longer!
According to a recent study published in the USA Today, the American Heart Association completed 10 studies with more than 3-million participants. Scientists found dog owners to live longer than those who don’t have a pup. More than that, they found that dog owners had a 24% risk reduction for death from any cause!
And life at Shelter Bay is smack dab in the middle of Kelowna dog walking beaches and basically a dog’s sniffing paradise in West Kelowna.
One spot we have mentioned before is Gellatly Dog Beach. A short jaunt from Shelter Bay. This is a great place for you to unhook the leash and let your four-legger run and splash in the lake! There are benches and picnic tables for you to relax and just watch the fun unfold. It is a dog and human only area and there is lots of room to burn off that K9 energy.
Kalamoir Regional Park is located at 3041 Collens Hill Rd, in West Kelowna. The reviews all agree that it’s a wonderful walk and a great place to stretch your legs with your pup. Kalamoir has two designated dog beaches and part of the trail runs along a gravel beach, there is a swimming dock and plenty of spots to go jump in the lake.
Connemara Park, located at 1419 Gregory Rd, West Kelowna, is another undeveloped park area perfect for leashed walks with your pup. A local website that reviews and rates local services and spots in B.C., Connemara Park offers locals the possibility to take a break for a while and get in touch with nature.
Eain Lamont Park, located at 3088 Lakeview Cove Rd, West Kelowna, that according to visitwestside.com, is situated on Mt Boucherie, a dormant volcano that erupted over 50 million years ago. The park offers dog friendly hiking trails and stunning panoramas of the West Kelowna and Kelowna area from two different summits, a great hike for the adventurous where dogs are allowed on leash.
Westbank Centre Park, located at 2569 May St. in West Kelowna and is home to the Kids Care Spray/Water Park, a Community Garden and an off-leash dog area. The park has benches and picnic tables for you to enjoy a lunch in the park along with a large grass play area beside the spray/water park.
Shannon Woods Park, located at 2490 Shannon Woods Dr. is an off-leash dog area that’s open year-round. This area also has a community garden with plots for rent as well as a field for soccer or football. Bring a ball or your dog’s favourite toy and enjoy a game of fetch.
For a different experience you can take your furry friend along on leash to Memorial Park, located on 3737 Old Okanagan Hwy in West Kelowna. It is adjacent to the Johnson Bentley Aquatic Centre and is home to the Annette Beaudreau Amphitheatre where you can walk your pup while enjoying the free Music in the Park concert series Friday nights during the summer.
You can visit this link for more information on Kelowna’s many dog friendly parks and beaches.
And even if you don’t own your own furry four legger, or don’t have one you can borrow from a friend, it’s worth the exercise, health and the happiness you’ll receive to go for a walk and take in the views, vistas and witness the pure joy of these pups as they sniff around the trails, bounce on the beaches and splash in the lake at these designated dog spots, and all of them close to Shelter Bay Townhomes.