Paws on Pilgrimage

Making Pilgrimage with your Furry Best Friend

Dogs have been emblems of faithfulness and companionship for centuries. What better way to make a purposeful journey than with your four-legged friend. We encourage you to pay attention to how your dog experiences the journey too. Adopt their curiosity, take time to indulge your senses and find personal meaning in your experiences together. Pilgrimage with your dog can be an incredibly rewarding experience, strengthening your bond while making a journey with meaning. However, it requires careful planning and preparation to ensure both you and your companion stay safe and comfortable. Below are essential tips for making pilgrimage with your dog, and some pilgrim practices to try too.

Pilgrim practice with your dog

Setting Intention

Set your intention for the journey at the beginning – this can be a question you want help with, or something to bring into or let go of, in your life. With your dog, sniff out a natural token in the church yard - an acorn, leaf  or small pebble and charge it with your intention. Release it at the end of your pilgrimage.

Seek out dogs in holy places

It's not unusual to find dogs depicted in effigy as a symbol of faithfulness on historic tombs. A symbol of St Roch, and of the Dominican Friars, they sometimes appear in stained glass or other artwork in places with these associations. In northern England there are tales of the Church Grim, a guardian spirit that protects the churchyard. Dogs are seen as protectors or healers in some spiritual traditions, whilst in others they can be percieved as unclean, a duality which might give you pause for thought on your journey.

Deliberate Stillness

Your dog is likely to need extra rest breaks, so take advantage of these as a moment to be peaceful. If you are with friends, commit to a moment of silence. Sit still, breathe deeply, allow sounds and distractions to move around you. You may wish to focus on your intention, or let your thoughts drift with the water in the river. Lie down and spend time and looking at a church ceiling, or try ‘looking at sky’ meditation in an open space or in a churchyard.

Sensory exploration

Take a cue from your dog and make the time to explore with your senses - trace tree bark or the old church graffiti with your fingertips, listen to the wildlife on the path, notice the scent of different places on your journey.

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Putting your dog first - is pilgrimage right for them?

There are lots of practical considerations, and the PDSA offers great guidance here.

Fitness

You know your pet best, make sure you choose a journey which is appropriate for your dog. Their fitness and stamina will be critical to your plans, both in terms of the length of overall route and your daily distances.  Generally, five miles (8km) is a safe distance for most dogs, while 10 miles (12km) is good for fitter, more energetic dogs. Make sure they are up to date with vaccinations and treatments, and learn how to inspect their paws for damage. Dogs shouldn't exercise too much within the 20 minutes after eating, you'll have to plan ample breaks. You might want to take them for a check up with the vet in advance and discuss your plans with them. Depending on your preference and your dog's stamina you can always split the pilgrimage over several shorter journeys. You will need to ensure that you are fit enough to be able to carry the extra weight of their food and water in your pack too, especially as they are likely to need to eat and drink more than usual.

Behaviour

How will they feel when taken away from familiar territory and their regular routines? Are they reactive around livestock? Do you have good recall with them? Think carefully about their personality and how you will need to manage your dog in an unknown environment. You might want to consider a hands-free lead or "canicross" style harness that keeps your balance, prevents tired arms and allows you to walk on-lead all day comfortably.  

Livestock

Depending on your route choice, you are likely to encounter some livestock on your journey at some point. If you haven't already trained your dog to be safe around farm animals it is well worth preparing them for this. Animals on the busier trails will be used to seeing dogs, but they may still react if they percieve a threat from your dog. Find useful hints and tips for how to prepare your dog for livestock here.

Wildlife

It very important to keep your dog under close control whilst on the path, for a number of reasons. You'll be spending a lot of time out in nature and there can be hidden impacts on our wildlife. It's great fun to snuffle through all the scrubby areas, but between March and August your dog is likely to disturb wildlife and may put off ground-nesting birds that rely on our woods and waysides. Our pets can also introduce harmful pesticides into the environment, which kills important insects and harms wildflowers. It's not appropriate to bury their faeces, due to wormer residue which can enter the food chain, so carry a sealable bag or tub for carrying mess between bins which might be some miles apart. Spot-on flea/tick treatments can wash off into water too, so be mindful around rivers and ponds if you don't want to inadvertently cause harm to wildlife.

Weather

Humans can tolerate a much broader range of weather conditions than a dog, so you need to be extra aware. If temperatures are above 20°C, it could be dangerous to rigorously exercise your dog, and when it's above 27°C, you should really keep them cool, hydrated and relaxed in the shade at all times, no matter how fit they are. Consult this diagram from VetsNow if you're unsure. Other weather conditions can be dangerous for dogs, too. High winds can spook dogs or knock them off their feet, which can be dangerous around cliffs on the coastal paths. It's worth noting that snow and salt can be sore on dog's paws, so if you're making a winter pilgrimage, consider investing in cold-weather paw boots.

Choosing a Route

Once you have considered all the physical requirements in relation to your specific dog, these should help inform your route choice. Use the filters on our route page to refine your choices by length and difficulty of terrain.

Accommodation

This is likely to be your main limiting factor, as not all the accommodation options tied to the stages of your journey will allow dogs. YHA usually allow dogs, and Independent Hostels has a handy filter to find dog-friendly places. Sanctuaries are variable, and you will info on whether or not they take dogs in the restriction section of each listing. There are a few different websites that specialise in dog-friendly listings, and booking.com also offers a handy filter. Wild camping is legal in Scotland so a hardy pilgrim might find these pilgrimages easier with a dog.

Pilgrim Places

You'll also find a lot of pilgrim places have variable dog policies. Once cathedrals used to employ "dog-whippers" to keep the animals away during services. Now, most English and Welsh cathedrals welcome dogs indoors, and in Scotland it varies by location and occasion. Many parish churches only allow assistance dogs however. Some places of worship hold services for blessing animals at certain times of year which could make a fine ending to your journey together. Other traditional places of worship such as mosques and gurdwaras usually allow guide dogs but not pets, however this can vary so it is always worth checking in advance. Other pilgrim places such as ancient monuments usually welcome dogs on leads, as do places of natural beauty.

Have you found a great pilgrimage route to do with your dog?

Let us know in the comments.

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