It’s the middle of summer and you and your canine friend are bored. You’re looking for something fun to do with him, but what? Go for a walk? Boring. Laze in the backyard? Super-boring. Play fetch? It’s too hot–and besides, it’s BORING!!! Yawn…maybe you’ll take a nap. But that doesn’t sound fun either, and Michigan summers are too short to waste an afternoon by sleeping (unless you’re ill). So…NOW what? Here’s a unique activity that both you and your dog will enjoy.
Have you ever heard of geocaching? This activity is sort of like a scavenger hunt, but it’s a little different. It’s a non-competitive treasure hunt in which the player, also known as a geocacher, uses a GPS or smartphone with a geocaching app to find containers containing log books and trinkets left behind by other participants. When the player finds the container, he or she records the time and date of the ‘discovery’ in the log book and has the option of taking a trinket and leaving another one in its place.
The trick (besides being clever enough to find the container) is to keep others in the area from knowing what you’re up to. And this is where your dog comes in–the perfect foil. The two of you seem like you’re just taking an innocent, leisurely stroll or a hike in the woods. Your dog even gets his own title–dogs who participate in geocaching are called ‘geohounds’.
It’s super-easy to get started on geocaching. The first thing you need to do is go to the official geocaching website (www.geocaching.com) to create a free account and choose a nickname. Then, as previously mentioned, you’ll need a GPS (about $100 at any store that sells electronics) or get the geocaching app for your smartphone. Once you’ve got your equipment, choose a location and search the website for caches hidden in the vicinity. The website will also provide additional instructions on how to conduct your search. The persons who hide the caches rate the terrain between one star (easiest) to five stars (most difficult) so you can pick the terrain that fits the fitness level of you and your dog. Then…go for it!!
After you’ve found your cache and recorded it in the log book, be sure to put the container back where you found it so the next geocacher can have the fun of discovery. A tip: if you’re going geocaching in a park, make sure it’s dog-friendly first. Another tip: it’s difficult to geocache in the rain because the satellite signals used by GPS can be affected by heavy cloud cover. The best weather for geocaching is dry and sunny (which is more comfortable for you and your dog anyway.)
If geocaching sounds like fun to you, you’re in good company. The sport began around 2000 and has since attracted at least 5 million participants worldwide. So if you want to geocache while you’re traveling in another country, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to do so.
Wondering why this time of year is often referred to as the ‘dog days of summer’? This dates back to the Romans who associated the hot summer weather with the rising of Sirius, the ‘dog star’, which is the brightest star in the night sky from approximately July 24th through August 24th. They also used to sacrifice a red dog in April to try to appease Sirius, as the dog days were thought to be an evil time when seas boiled, dogs went mad, and people were stricken with all manner of illnesses due to the hot sultry weather. (Thank goodness that canine sacrifice is no longer practiced!) So this expression has been around for a VERY long time, but it still seems to hold some truth. The seas may not be boiling, but 95 degrees with high humidity seems to drain the energy of most dogs–and people. So now, the next time you hear someone refer to the ‘dog days of summer’, you’ll sound like a whiz kid when you explain the true origin of this expression!
