There may be better places on the planet to be a dog, but I doubt Lyra — or her brother, Murphy — can think of one!

It takes less than 10 minutes from our door to hit the nearest beach along the shore of fjord-like Kootenay Lake here in Kaslo. There are endless opportunities to sniff, dig, More often than not, your only company will be gulls, geese, eagles, osprey, and the occasional bear looking to cool off on a hot summer’s afternoon.

In other words, dog heaven.