At Nurture Your Pet, our vision is to build a tribe of pet lovers sharing stories and advice about their fur babies 🐶🐾 We are so grateful for our community, and we are thrilled to be featuring members of our NYP family! For our fifth Pawrent Spotlight, we are elated to introduce you to Hailey and her spectacular skateboarding supermutt rescue, Darrel (on Instagram as @darrelthedoge) ❤️
NYP: Tell us about yourself and Darrel – where are you from?
H&D: I am from the Seattle area of Washington State and work at the Alzheimer’s Association.
NYP: What breed of dog is Darrel?
H&D: We were told Darrel is a retriever corgi mix when we adopted him from his rescue, but after taking a DNA test, it turns out that Darrel is a supermutt Pitbull/Pyrenees/Collie/Cattle Dog/Aussie/Staffy mix!
NYP: When/How did Darrel become a part of your family?
H&D: My coworker let us know that there was a litter of puppies available through a rescue that she volunteered for. I saw one video of all of them running around, while one was just sitting there staring at the wall… I knew it was meant to be. We soon found out his name was Darrel (which happens to be our grandpa’s name).
NYP: What is your favorite thing to do with Darrel?
H&D: Darrel and I love to train; we learn new tricks all the time! Currently, we are working on learning every sport this year. It is our chance to bond, communicate, tune out the rest of the world, and just have fun. We train inside, outside, and even on walks.
NYP: What’s a typical day-in-the-life routine for Darrel?
H&D: After much encouragement and a few treats, Darrel gets up in the morning. He is not a morning dog… we train, let him help himself to breakfast… yes, he opens the fridge and even closes it. After a day at the office, where Darrel is Office Dog, or working from home, we head out for an adventure or a skateboarding session!
NYP: How did you discover that he can skateboard? If there was training involved, do you have any tips?
H&D: We were so bored during quarantine in 2020 that we did what any other normal dog owner would do… bought our pup a skateboard (just kidding!). It was a board too small for him, so he learned to become comfortable pushing it and generally just being around and enjoying riding on a skateboard. He picked it up so fast that we decided to buy a real one that he could fully ride on.
Tips for pups learning to skate – It has to be fun for them. If it isn’t, maybe trying another activity would be better! Start slow! Keep the board stationary at first so that they can get used to balancing without the motion of the board (maybe use your foot, or place on a carpet or grass). Once your pup is ready to ride outdoors, safety is number one! Always find a safe place without cars and other dangers. And overall, just have fun!
NYP: Do you have any advice, stories, or anything else that you would like to share with our community?
H&D: We have found our bond through training. Our communication has increased significantly, and we work on it every single day to build trust and deepen our bond even more. It makes trick training way easier and more fun for both of us! Well, that and food… Darrel will do anything for food. 😋
It is so important for people to know that every pup is different and for some, tricks and skating might not be their thing! Find something your pup loves to do and is passionate about to spend quality time together. Maybe it is playing ball, or simply cuddling on the couch.
Listen to your pup, spoil them, and have fun with them. They simply do not live long enough; it truly is their only fault. Enjoy every minute. 💜
