Mini Aussie Is the Most Adorable Tour Guide at Zion National Park

What do you do when you want to explore one of the country's great national parks? Sure, you could buy a few handheld guides and sketch out an itinerary, or you could plot out a route in Google Maps if you have that much faith in your phone's battery life. As for me, I'd want to have this "bark ranger" lead the way instead!

Ember is a mini Australian Shepherd with a passion for the great outdoors. When she's not being adorabe at home, she's going on lots of adventures - just like she did recently when she became her family's official tour guide through Zion National Park!

Miss Ember (aka @yourdogsbestfriend) certainly knows how to dress to impress! Slipping into a snazzy "bark ranger" outfit complete with a personalized name tag, the bite-sized Australian Shepherd fearlessly led the way on her family's big adventure through Zion National Park. I don't know how long Ember has been working as an official National Parks tour guide, but I'd trust her with my life.

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Much like their full-sized cousins, mini or toy Aussie Shepherds have a natural affinity for outdoor adventures. According to the American Kennel Club, Miniature Australian Shepherds are smart, active, and versatile dogs that excel in all manner of dog sports and thrive with plenty of daily physical stimulation. They're also very intelligent, adaptable, eager to please, and have natural herding instincts. With a skillset like that, I can't think of a better type of pup to lead a tour through a national park!

Rules for Bringing Your Dog to a National Park

Now before you get amped and take your active, outdoorsy dog to the nearest national park, take a minute to stop and do a little research. While a sprawling national park with wide open spaces might seem like an obvious place to bring your dog, most national parks have some restrictions on canine visitors in order to protect the local wildlife and ecosystem.

According to the National Park Service, park regulations involving dogs can vary considerably from place to place. Some parks have hundreds of miles' worth of pet-friendly trails, while others may only allow dogs on roads and in developed campgrounds (service dogs, of course, are always an exception). Since rules can vary broadly, the best thing you can do is to research the park you're going to before planning a road trip there with Fido. For example, in Zion National Park, leashed dogs are only allowed on the Pa'rus Trail, and not anywhere else in the park (I suppose that does limit the scope of Ember's tour guide duties...).

There are plenty of national parks that will gladly welcome you and your active four-legged friend with open paws, but make sure you've read up on all the rules and restrictions for pets before you head over. Pretty soon, your dog might be just as good of a tour guide as Miss Ember!

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