Did Your Dog Get to Be a Dog Today?

A National Dog Month hello to Kiki, the newest member of the Mendota Pet family.

National Dog Month feels like the perfect time to introduce someone new around here.

Meet Kiki.

Kiki joined our family earlier this year after being adopted from the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County in Florida. At about a year old, she arrived a little shy and unsure of her new surroundings. Four months later, it's safe to say she's settling in.

And taking over a few things along the way.

A DNA test helped fill in some of her story: 50.6% Chihuahua, 15.7% Beagle and 14.8% Boston Terrier, with Pug, Australian Cattle Dog and Cocker Spaniel mixed in for good measure.

The result is a soft-haired, black-and-white little dog with distinct spotted legs—and quite a personality.

The Stuff That Makes Them Them

It doesn't take long after bringing a dog home before their little routines begin revealing themselves.

Kiki has claimed the top cushion of the couch as one of her favorite places. She loves her scheduled walks, lounging in the sun or catching a breeze from a chair, and greeting her people with a little whine when they return—even if the great separation was only a trip to the grocery store.

She's also rarely far from a toy.

First thing in the morning, Kiki is likely to find an Oomaloo toy nearby—or, failing that, a conveniently abandoned sock. Fetch is serious business. She'll happily carry a favorite toy around in her mouth for 20 minutes at a time, and there aren't many things convincing enough to make her put it down.

Treats, however, have proven effective.

The Secret Stash

Apparently, Kiki isn't alone in assigning great importance to seemingly random objects.

Dogs have their favorite toys, hiding places and possessions, and sometimes a collection mysteriously begins accumulating somewhere around the house.

We like to call it the secret stash.

Oomaloo toys certainly have a way of finding themselves scattered around Kiki's favorite places. And giving dogs opportunities to fetch, carry, search for and play with their toys isn't just fun—it gives them something to do.

For those times when we're busy, we've also become fans of treat-hiding enrichment toys like sniff balls. Tucking a few treats inside turns finding them into the activity, giving a bored nose and brain a little work to do even when their person can't provide undivided attention.

Sometimes good enrichment really is that simple.

But Kiki's Favorite Toy Might Be Her Nose

Maybe there's a little Beagle showing through.

Kiki loves to smell. On walks, there's always something worth investigating, which brings us to one of our favorite dog trends of 2026:

The Sniffari.

Yes, sniffari is the spelling. Think sniff + safari.

A sniffari—or scent walk—turns the usual idea of walking a dog around. Instead of concentrating on distance, pace or reaching a destination, you give your dog some safe freedom to follow their nose, investigate and occasionally help decide where the walk goes.

It's a cute name for something dogs have wanted us to do all along.

Scent walks have received renewed attention this year as a simple form of mental enrichment. The idea isn't that every walk has to take forever. Sometimes it's just allowing an extra stop, taking a different route or giving your dog a few minutes to figure out whatever fascinating story apparently exists at the bottom of that tree.

Dogs gather an extraordinary amount of information through scent, and allowing time to investigate gives their minds something to work on. The American Kennel Club has also highlighted sniff-focused walks as a way to give dogs more freedom and agency during walks.

For Kiki, we're happy to oblige.

A Little More Room to Explore

A sniffari doesn't require a special destination.

It can happen around the neighborhood, at a park, on vacation or during some downtime when neither of you needs to be anywhere in particular.

It can also be a nice activity for someone dog-sitting. Instead of feeling like every minute needs to be filled with entertainment, take a safe, unhurried walk and let the dog's nose provide some of the itinerary.

Even the everyday walk can feel different when the goal becomes exploration instead of mileage.

Kiki has taken that spirit beyond the sidewalk, too. She enjoys the dog beach, boating and even stand-up paddleboarding with her older brother, Amore. She's not particularly intimidated by water either. If the group gets too far ahead, she has been known to swim after them.

Amore may be familiar to longtime Mendota Pet followers. He's served as a Mendota Pet ambassador and an enthusiastic trade-show attraction over the years. He's a Poodle, Chihuahua and Rat Terrier mix himself.

It took Kiki and Amore a little time to completely figure each other out.

Four months later, they're playing together.

That's been pretty fun to watch.

Maybe Good Care Is Getting More Personal

There's something else happening in the dog world that seems especially fitting during National Dog Month.

We're becoming more intentional about what quality of care means.

A 2026 Rover survey of 1,000 U.S. pet parents found that 84% believe the meaning of “quality” pet care has changed during their lifetime, while 86% believe pets are better cared for today than in previous generations.

That doesn't necessarily mean doing something elaborate.

It can mean learning what makes your dog happy.

Maybe that's regular training. A favorite toy. Grooming and skin care. A dog walker who understands their routine. A chance to explore someplace new. More opportunities to sniff. Or simply recognizing that one dog wants to fetch while another would rather spend fifteen minutes investigating the edge of the yard.

In fact, that idea of personalized care—understanding the individual dog rather than just meeting the basics—is itself part of the pet-care conversation in 2026.

We're learning Kiki's version.