Okay, I don’t actually mean my closet is full of these brown and black boots. But I realized the other day that I spend a lot of time in my L.L. Bean duck boots. You never realize how similar your outfits become each day until your work uniform is basically “clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty but that also looks half way decent.” There’s only so much wiggle room with that criteria!

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately with a client’s black lab puppy named Griffin. Griffin and I bounce around the city once a week in the name of socialization. Yes, that’s right – I get to spend the afternoon with a puppy so I can rapid fire treats at him whenever we see, well, just about anything. New people, places, things – they all mean good treats for Griff so he learns that the world is an awesome place! And, no surprises here: I do it all wearing my duck boots.

Then, on the other end of the dog-trainer-job spectrum, I spent time with a shelter dog, out of the shelter! Her name is Kyra and she is ah-maz-ing. My behavior team had to run an errand to Home Depot so we figured we’d bring along a dog. Turns out we picked the best dog in the whole place, because Kyra was a rockstar for the outing. I did a lot of rewarding her like I do Griffin (basically showering her with treats throughout the whole experience) but I also paid her for practicing the skill of acknowledging all the crazy sights, sounds and people of Home Depot, and still sticking with me. I’m about to throw you all for a loop right now and tell you I was wearing my duck boots for the occasion.

But forreal, I have bad knees and I work in potentially very muddy environments, so my Bean boots have been one of my best investments this season, just like my flannels in the fall and my work-appropriate khaki shorts in the summer. Now that I have to skip the heels and dress pants every morning, I’m clinging on to every ounce of “fashion” I can, even if it means lumberjack chic (yes, that is a thing).

P.S. Adopt Kyra so I don’t.