Shar-pei dogs are an ancient breed. Most experts believe that they originated during China’s Han Dynasty, nearly 2,000 years ago. Initially used for hunting and guarding livestock and property, shar-peis are naturally alert and have a protective disposition.
Sometimes we forget how simple a nature trip can be. A toddler named Arthur, though, reminds us in the short video below.
Watch as this little boy takes a walk through the woods with his 12-year-old dog, Watson. When Arthur passes a puddle, he does what we adults often forget to do while seeking an experience in nature: explore the mundane for the joys that might be hiding within.
Meanwhile, loyal Watson patiently waits.
Little Arthur takes a break from walking his shar-pei, named Watson, to play in a puddle. ©From the video “Best Friends—a Kid, a Dog and a Puddle”
I hope you’ll think of Arthur on your own upcoming weekend adventures that are—in the words of Natural Habitat Adventures’ founder and director Ben Bressler—”out there”!
Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,
Candy
Watson and baby Arthur are grerat friends and it really shows ! Great dog and and a sweet boy who loves him very much!
This is the best video !!! I’ll have it saved in my compter for a long time.
Most enjoyable! Thanks for sharing.
I love, love, love it.
Very creative work with a great subject. Thanks.
What pleasant memories this brings. Raising three Sons (1 Daughter) I have seen this happen many times. A sweet part of the video is the little boy laying the leash on the ground, then turning around to check that the dog is still there. NOW, he is free to splash.
I agree. I also work to encourage people to engage with nature, particularly focusing on their own local patch, their garden, local park, a twitten etc.
Lovely video clip, a child enjoying contact with nature. Love the dog also. Reminds me of a friends dog (they lived in the canary Islands – in a mountainous region). I would take regular walks to photograph the wildlife much of which is indigenous. The dog, Lunar a golden retrive cross, always accompanied me when I walked (by her choice) and every time I stopped to take a photographs – which may have been 15 minutes or more, she would sit patiently and wait. Eventually, when I headed back to the house, as soon as we were in sight of it, she would run off (as if to say you know your way back from here)
I also agree that people miss so much that is around them and their local patch gives people a regular opportunity to experience nature. I have been lucky to have been working in environmental education for 25 years and have also always lived local so I have a big selection of local examples which makes a big difference. Even in my small garden I have seen 14 species of bee (including cuckoo bees, a mining bee species nesting in the eatch between paving slabs, red mason bees nesting in my home made bee home and more. Bird species include goldfinch and gold crest, I have seen spider courtship, mating snails, and much more and these are the examples (and that’s just the garden) I share to encourage others people (adults and children) to do the same.
We need to engage with nature for so many reasons, and the sheer joy of it (and recapturing the sense of wonderment that many people loose as adults) is certainly high on the list.
Great.
The joys of childhood!! Thank you for sharing this.
Wow, that kid is incredibly similar to the deer caught on tape with the puddle.