The Associated Press is reporting on the continuing grim outlook for the economy in the U.S., highlighting the reluctance of consumer to spend any spare cash the more fortunate ones may have.

Kasey Doshier, a graphic designer in Chicago, said the recession taught her to rein in her spending. The key moment came early last year, when her employer cut her pay 15 percent to avoid layoffs.

“I just lived paycheck to paycheck and had a good time,” said Doshier, 32. “It’s kind of scary to think that I am a paycheck away from being homeless.”

Doshier’s pay has been reinstated, but she’s still watching her money. Dinner and drinks with friends are gone. Now she goes to free street festivals and the city pool. She explores Chicago neighborhoods by taking her dog on long “adventure walks.”

That is one of the great pleasure of owning a dog, although one that perhaps few enough dog owners really take full pleasure in. In the suburbs or in rural parts, one might be lazy and generally just let one’s dog out in the yard or environs and rarely take the animal for really long walks. In the city, some grudgingly walk their pooch around the block, or to the nearest green patch, but never out of the neighborhood. That’s a pity, and one should fight back against such laziness. Most dogs love long walks, and the smells and sights of new places. A place you would doubtless never go on your own might be a great destination for you and your dog, where you can see the habitat through Fido’s eyes.

There are few dogs, and fewer people, who can’t benefit from some really long walks. And especially in the city, all that sidewalk strolling wears down the claws, and so cuts down on clipping. And of-course, as the lady mentioned above is well aware, another wonderful thing about walking is that it is totally and utterly free. Admittedly, you’ve got to pay for your own shoe leather, and pack some water and snacks, but compared to almost anything else you might do with that time, it’s pretty darned cheap.

And I do practice what I preach. Being poor helps as a motivator, and having a dog with endless curiosity and energy. Our little mutt Billie has walked many times from river (East) to river (Hudson) in Manhattan. She’s been up and down and all around. It’s nothing for her to do eighty blocks on a Saturday. And when what’s reachable on foot alone seems uninteresting, she’s fortunately the right size to fit in a Sherpa bagand hop on the subway to find new streets to pound, or to get on the commuter rail and spend a day in the country. We’ve been so many places that we otherwise would never have gone, in the interest of finding new territory to walk with our dog; we’ve been to so many parks in other towns and boroughs, city beaches (in the off-season) and blocks we just never would have walked down. It keeps Billie fit, and keeps me from being more unfit than I otherwise would be.

Sadly, a bad economy can lead to people abandoning their pets, believing them to be too great a burden. It would be nice, with the continuing recession, if more people might actually consider getting a mutt from the animal shelter and taking advantage of the really inexpensive gifts it brings, not least a good reason to do a whole lot of walking through God’s beautiful creation.

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