A Dog’s Guide to Autumn
The trees are letting go now. Gold and rust against blue sky, the landscape putting on its last show before the stark quiet sets in.
Mocca launched herself into the fjord yesterday, still enjoying her favorite activity despite the change in temperature.
But swimming season is almost over. Soon the fjord (and the frozen air on a wet dog’s skin) will be too cold even for her, and she’ll have to settle for splashing through puddles on our morning walks instead. But she doesn’t seem troubled by this.
That’s the thing about dogs and seasons, they don’t cling to what’s passing. Mocca loves summer best, yes. Swimming is her great passion, the thing she’d do from dawn to dark if allowed. But when the water gets too cold and the dock stairs get pulled in for winter, she’ll pivot without complaint. Puddles become fascinating. Frost becomes worth investigating. And when the snow finally arrives, she’ll fling herself into powdery drifts with the same wild joy she gives to the fjord.
Dogs don’t mourn the end of their favorite season. They just notice what’s good about the next one.
Fall here isn’t an ending. It’s a shift.
The warmth leaves, yes. The vibrant green fades to brown and gold and bare branches. But something else begins. Darker mornings where the fireplace pushes back the chill. Seasonal foods like fårikål, a traditional lamb and cabbage dish stewed slowly, reappear. The kind of meal that makes a house smell like home. Mocca stationing herself at the kitchen edge, eyes hopeful, knowing scraps are coming.
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She’s already anticipating winter’s pleasures. The sheepskin chair by the fire that becomes her throne. The longer naps while I write and the coffee steams. The snow that will eventually transform the landscape into her personal playground. Providing something to roll in, tunnel through, eat by the mouthful just because.
Every season brings its gifts if you’re paying attention, and dogs are always paying attention.
The walks will continue. Darker, colder, eventually through snow. But they continue. Mocca will bound into October rain with the same enthusiasm she bounds into June sunshine. She’ll track the first snowfall with her nose, delighted by this new thing that is also an old thing returning.
This is her guide to autumn: embrace what comes as much as what was. Summer held swimming, so summer was perfect. Fall holds different joys, so fall is perfect too. Winter will bring snow, and winter will be perfect in its turn.
No resistance. No wishing for what’s gone. Just presence in what is, and eagerness for what’s next.
Maybe we’re the ones who need the guide. Mocca’s already figured it out.
So here’s to fall. To the last swims and the first fires. To trees that know when to let go and dogs who know every season is exactly right. :)
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*One thing that stays constant through every season is the daily walk. And with it comes a small choice we make each time we pick up after our dogs. Choose compostable and you reduce your plastic footprint. If you are already using compostable bags, great to hear! If not, feel free to try these —strong and no plastic:
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