From Country Pup to City Dog: How This Adventure Started

How a five-year-old country dog ended up navigating elevators, city sidewalks, and a whole new life in Washington, DC.

For most of my life, I was a country dog. I had space. I had grass. I had room to explore. Going outside was easy, and the world beyond the front door felt pretty familiar.

Then Mom and I moved to Washington, DC.

Let's just say I had some questions.

Country dog, meet city

There are a few things no one adequately explained to me before this move. Elevators, for one. Why are we willingly stepping into a tiny moving room with strangers? And why does everyone seem so casual about it?

Then there are apartment hallways, busy sidewalks, traffic, construction, people appearing around corners, doors opening unexpectedly and approximately seventeen million noises that apparently everyone else has agreed to ignore.

I had not agreed.

The funny thing is, I've always been an adventurous dog. I love going places. I love meeting people. Put me on a hiking trail or at a campsite and I'm ready to see what's around the next corner. If there's water involved, even better.

But moving to the city taught us something pretty quickly: being brave in one place doesn't automatically make you confident everywhere.

The adventures got smaller for a while

At first, some of our biggest adventures weren't really adventures at all. Sometimes the challenge was simply getting through our apartment door. I'd stop at the threshold and stare down the hallway. The elevator could make me nervous.

Outside, there was so much happening at once that treats—which I normally consider a very compelling argument—occasionally weren't even worth eating.

Mom tried treats. Waiting. Encouragement. New equipment. Lots and lots of patience.

We didn't always get it right. And progress definitely didn't happen in a straight line. Some days I surprised her. Other days, I was very clear that I would prefer to return immediately to the apartment, thank you.

But slowly, we started figuring the city out together.

Then the city started getting bigger

Little by little, the scary places became more familiar. And once we got beyond the hardest parts, there was actually quite a lot to investigate. There were new neighborhoods to walk through. Murals to stop and inspect. Stores and outings. New people. New smells. And an entire city that looked a little different when viewed from approximately doodle height.

We started documenting those little moments. Not because I suddenly became the world's most confident city dog. I didn't.

That's actually part of the story. We're learning as we go.

But I'm still an outdoor dog at heart

Thankfully, moving to Washington didn't mean giving up the places where I feel most like myself. We still get out of the city. We hike. We camp. We take road trips. And whenever possible, I swim.

Seriously. If there is a body of water nearby, I would like someone to explain why I am not currently in it.

Those trips have become an important part of our new life. One weekend I might be figuring out a busy DC sidewalk; another, I'm wearing my life jacket at a campsite and trying to convince Mom that whatever body of water I've spotted is absolutely intended for dogs.

That's when we realized this story was becoming about more than moving to a city.

So, what exactly is My Adventures with Auggie?

It's about figuring out how to keep exploring when life changes. Sometimes an adventure is a road trip or a mountain trail. Sometimes it's camping beside a lake. Sometimes it's discovering a new dog-friendly place in DC. And sometimes the adventure is getting into an elevator that used to feel impossible.

We're sharing all of it.

You'll find our DC Diaries, where we're discovering what city life looks like for a dog who definitely wasn't raised for it.

You'll find our bigger Adventures—the hikes, camping trips, road trips, swimming holes and places we discover along the way.

And you'll find Auggie's Favorite Things: the gear, toys and other things that actually come along for those adventures with us.

There will also inevitably be some nonsense. I am, after all, a doodle.

One adventure at a time

I don't know if I'll ever be the dog who thinks nothing of every siren, crowded sidewalk or elevator ride. That's okay. The goal isn't to turn me into a different dog. It's to make my world bigger.

A month ago, Mom started sharing our story while we were still very much figuring things out. Since then, something pretty wonderful has happened: people have started coming along for the ride.

They've celebrated the little wins. They've laughed at the ridiculous moments. They've watched me explore places I love and work through places I'm still learning to love.

And we're really just getting started.

So whether you're here because you have your own adventure dog, you're looking for somewhere new to explore, you're navigating life with a dog who's still figuring things out—or you simply enjoy watching a fluffy dog make questionable decisions—welcome.

I'm Auggie! Country pup. City dog. Camper. Hiker. Enthusiastic swimmer.

And there's still a very big world left to explore.

Come along.