Dogs as Models

I received a heartfelt email from Pam, who recently learned about the Hike and is in school to become a pediatric oncology nurse. She suggested taking Hudson and Murphy to visit cancer patients after we reach Boston to share our story with kids who are hit particularly hard.

That got me thinking - dogs are ideal models for studying cancer in people as we've learned but they serve a much greater role for us than that. Especially in adversity. Their instinct for survival is so great that they're unaffected by self doubt or discouraged by uncertain outcomes or the opinions of others.

Perhaps even more importantly, they teach us self worth. A dog will never knowingly do anything to harm or hinder itself or its pack. In training and our travels, I often find myself learning even more from my relationships with my boys like abiding by the laws of nature and the importance of working as a team. Thanks, Pam, for reminding me that our dogs provide us with a much greater model for life and living.