The Best Companion
Whether it’s your boisterous toddler or rowdy pup, a perfect pile of autumn leaves might be too good to resist! You probably remember the days when you also jumped into a crunchy orange leaf pile without a second thought. But why do humans and dogs love jumping into huge piles of leaves? The main (and most obvious answer) is because it’s fun! For kids, dogs, and even some adults, jumping and rolling around in the fall leaves is a satisfying form of play that releases energy. While this may be the simple reason for humans, there are a few more reasons your canine companion can’t resist a tower of leaves. Instinct to Dig Digging is a dog’s favorite pastime that dates back to their wolf ancestors. Just as natural as sniffing and barking, digging is an ingrained behavior for dogs, and they want to follow their instincts the moment they see a leaf pile. Whether they’re THE SCIENCE BEHIND WHY DOGS AND HUMANS CAN'T RESIST LEAF PILES
Gia Bushman began her career as a nurse’s aide, but her lifelong love of animals pulled her in another direction. “I love working with people,” she says, “but I wanted something different, and I think I do better with animals.” Earlier this year, Gia took her first role in a veterinary office by becoming a kennel technician at Surface Creek Vet, and the team has been glad to have her! She now cleans, prepares exam rooms, restocks supplies, and cares for hospitalized animals. Along with our other kennel tech, Gia helps to look after our two clinic cats, Stevie and Peek-a-Boo. She is being trained to safely restrain animals for examinations, which she notes is “a lot of fun.” “I really like learning, and you do a lot of that here,” Gia says. “I also love the people I work with. Everyone here is so welcoming and nice, and that is a huge plus.” Gia was raised locally by her great-grandparents. She now lives with her 3-year-old cat, Momo, and a 7-year-old border collie and American shepherd mix named Luna. Momo is a happy indoor cat who loves cuddling, but Luna shares Gia’s love of nature. “I’m really active, so I’m always hiking and going to see waterfalls,” she says. “And Luna is a very hyper dog, so the more she moves, the better.” HOW GIA FOUND HER PASSION AT SURFACE CREEK VET
digging in to rest in the cool leaves or demolishing the pile entirely, your dog is just doing what dogs have always done. Irresistible Seasonal Scents Our sense of smell doesn’t even come
close to dogs’ incredible scent skills. While we have 5 million scent receptors, dogs have anywhere between 125–300 million! This means they can smell countless other scents we can’t, and autumn may bring some exciting aromas your dog hasn’t experienced in a while. The result? They’ll dive right into a leaf pile and get sniffing! Marking Territory Another scent factor could be your dog wanting to claim a particular leaf pile. We already know dogs use their scents to mark territory, and rolling in a beloved pile of leaves is a way to infuse their scent. After diving head first into some leaves, they leave their scent behind so other animals can smell them and know that the leaf pile has already been claimed! Whatever the case, jumping into a pile of leaves is completely normal — and fun! — for both humans and dogs. 2 970-856-4474
Gia hopes to become a veterinary assistant someday but says, “Right now, I’m pretty happy with where I am. I love it!”
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