Fresh from my afternoon with Moki, a shelter dog at the Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection (RCACP), I don’t know who had the biggest adventure- Moki or me!
After hearing that the local shelters, including the RCACP, were at full capacity, I wanted to participate in their Adventure Dog program and check out a dog for the afternoon. Now, if you know me, you know I didn’t grow up with dogs. In fact, as a kid I had more negative experiences with dogs than positive, so I don’t have that natural inclination to walk up to any dog that passes by like a lot of people might. I was excited to see what this experience would bring, and boy was I in for it!
After meeting Moki, I was immediately overwhelmed with the amount of energy she had. At just a year old, poor Moki was brought to the RCACP three months ago as a stray, so I knew I wanted to let her explore all the beauty outside in Roanoke County and meet as many new people as we could fit into one afternoon.
Getting her in the car was a trick! I thought she would love the big, open back seat, but she actually seemed to love the driver’s seat more. This was a bit concerning driving down 581, but we eventually, and more importantly, safely, made it to Happy Hollow Gardens Park where we went for a walk along the trail. For a better portion of the walk, it felt like Moki was walking me until we made it to an open field where she could run and play. 
We learned that fetch and walking on a trail just was not exciting enough for Moki, so we decided to go for a run at Hidden Valley High School. Moki got to see the football team practicing and meet some students walking or biking though. She loved going for a run; I would get into shape pretty quick if I had Moki as my exercise buddy!
We drove past one of the newest coffee shops, and I couldn’t resist treating Moki to a “pup cup.” I was curious what would be in it, and I quickly learned that dogs love whipped cream as much as humans do because Moki ate it up in about 15 seconds. Who could blame her?
Before I took Moki back, I wanted her to meet some more people, so we stopped by my office to see who Moki could fall in love with! She definitely found lots of love, but I have good news for you- she is still looking for her forever love!
If you’re looking to add a furry friend to your home, or if you are looking to spend the day with a new furry friend, check out the RCACP and ask for Moki, or any of their other adventure dogs!