My timid dog has come to love the outdoors

So have I. How did Scout transform from a homebody clinger to (as my partner lovingly jokes) a “feral maniac”?

When I adopted my blue heeler, she’d barely sniff on neighborhood walks. She hackled at unfamiliar trails. She jumped to avoid the littlest puddles. Even after a year together she couldn’t play outdoors for more than a few seconds—she was always so concerned by the external world. A plastic bag crinkling in the wind, a piece of furniture abandoned on the sidewalk, an unseen creature rustling in the underbrush… Everything outside was either scary or had the potential to be.

Today? Scout loves nothing more than romping through a national forest or sunbathing on BLM land. Since moving into our converted van, she’s been to 47 states and nine Canadian provinces, spending the bulk of that time immersed in fresh air. (When your entire living space doesn’t amount to 70 square feet, you find yourself outdoors a lot.)

Our cattle dog has spotted dolphins off Florida’s space coast, played tug in front of Denali’s peak, and rolled atop Utah’s red sand. She’s rarely too overwhelmed to sniff a new env…