Petal and I have been doing a lot of hiking lately. We’ve found some fun, new to us, trails to hike and hiked some of our favorites multiple times. My favorite trail happens to be one that is pretty popular amongst the cyclists and they’re part of the reason I love that trail so much. This particular trail can be very wide in some places and very narrow in others, so sharing the trail can sometimes be a bit tricky, but we always figure it out and everyone is polite and kind to one another and Petal gets loads of compliments. She also gets to practice her manners around cyclists. Petal is a natural born herder. She wants to herd all the beings, whether they be human or animal. Cyclists are particularly exciting to her and for every emotion felt by Petal comes barking. She likes to express herself.

When a bike comes along we move to the left and we wait. I make sure to make eye contact and smile and say hi to them as they pedal by, not only is it polite, but it helps Petal to see me calmly greeting them. Rarely does she bark at them and if she does it’s just two happy barks. Yesterday, as a woman and her friend biked by, the woman complimented Petal’s behavior saying, “What a good dog!” I was already swelling with pride when she tacked on, “What a great owner!” I don’t get that from strangers. It was nice to hear.

While I love greeting the bicyclists, my absolute favorite things about this trail is how beautiful it is and how shady it is. That seems to be pretty hard to find around here! Open trails are great for the views of the Utah mountains and the valley below, but I prefer trails that have a good mix of open views and lots of trees. I like to be submerged into the trees. It’s peaceful, beautiful and much cooler. That’s important with the summer heat.

Another important thing to have while hiking, whether it’s hot outside or not, is water. Lots of it. Water is just one of the things Petal carries in her Kurgo backpack. I also carry a bottle of water in my own bag. We take frequent water breaks during our hikes. Water is extremely important, for both humans and animals, especially while exercising.

A few weeks ago we received a the Zippy Bowl from Kurgo to review. Since then we have been putting it to the test with our daily walks or hikes. The Zippy Bowl folds up and zips into this small, almost triangle shape, making it extremely easy to tote around. It’s small enough to toss into even my smallest purse and so lightweight that I wouldn’t even notice it there. It’s been perfect for our hikes. I just clipped it on Petal’s backpack and we were good to go, until the clip broke earlier this week. It broke very easily, I was disappointed. Luckily it easily fits into Petal’s pack and I happen to have, a much sturdier, clip on hand.

The best thing about this bowl is that it actually does hold water. Cloth water bowls that I’ve used in the past always, always leaked from the bottom or the corners even though they claimed to hold water. I poured a generous amount of water into the Zippy Bowl and let it sit for about 15 minutes or so and even after that time the entire outside of the bowl, bottom included, was completely dry. I was very impressed. The inside of the bowl dries quickly, I always leave it unzipped until it’s completely dry, I’m not sure if it would get smelly or not if I didn’t do this.
The bowl is also BPA Free, which I always appreciate.

Petal is also in charge of carrying our tiny first aid kit (neosporin, band-aids and Benadryl), sunscreen, hand sanitizer and poop bags, including the used ones (as you may have noticed in the picture, though I have recently started putting the used bags inside her pack because watching that bag of poop bounce off of her body and narrowly avoid hitting sharp sticks was grossing me out).

Petal is a working dog and giving her a job makes her happy and carrying things while hiking helps to burn more of her energy, which makes us both happy. 😉

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

note: I was sent one Kurgo Zippy Bowl, free of charge, in exchange for this review. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am an affiliate of Kurgo and this post does contain affiliate links, which I may or may not receive compensation for. The Kurgo backpack is a purchase I made myself a few years ago.

Today we are participating in the FitDog Friday blog hop hosted by SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love.