Podcasts to listen to when walking the dog
five favourites from the nation’s dog owners
While we’re very much in favour of using walks to appreciate our surroundings, reconnect with nature and bond with our four-legged friends, treading the same path day in day out in order to adhere to the ‘stay close to home’ lockdown restrictions can sometimes feel a little tedious. Fresh air, falling leaves and the sound of happy sniffing and scurrying paws are lovely but now and again, a touch more entertainment is needed. Our advice? Dig out your headphones!
If you’ve yet to develop a serious podcast addiction – something many of us have succumbed to over the past 12 months after exhausting Netflix – now’s the time to jump on board. We promise you, find the right one, and you’ll be laughing, crying and nodding your way along multiple dog walks a day. We asked our lovely dog-owning followers on Instagram for their top recommendations to get you started – or to rediscover a new favourite – and while we received hundreds of responses, the same five kept coming up time and time again.
SHAGGED. MARRIED. ANNOYED.
This laugh-out-loud podcast might get you some odd looks from fellow dog walkers but it’s worth it. It will most definitely lift your spirits and put a spring in your step. Shagged. Married. Annoyed. was by far the top recommendation that we received proving that while we all might be bit down in the dumps at the mo, we haven’t lost our sense of humour.
If you’ve not come across it before, it’s a podcast by the very funny Chris Ramsey and his (perhaps even funnier) wife Rosie, where they talk about life, relationships, arguments, annoyances, parenting, growing up and everything in between. It really is hilarious.
HAPPY PLACE
Another popular recommendation; in Happy Place, Fearne Cotton delves into the subject of happiness by chatting to a series of inspiring individuals about their lives, loves and losses. Intriguing, thought-provoking and sometimes very raw, it’s an amazing listen – you don’t definitely won’t want to return home from your walk before you’ve reached the end of the interview.
Our top tip … don’t dismiss an episode because you haven’t previously related to the interviewee. You might surprise yourself. Some of our favourites have been with guests who we never expected to find in any way, shape or form relatable.
CRIME JUNKIE
Possibly not one to listen to if your daily dog walk takes you through dark, remote destinations or you’ll find your heart racing at every rustle, but so many of our Instagram followers recommended Crime Junkie. A weekly true crime podcast, Ashley Flowers draws you in by discussing whatever crime she’s been obsessing over that week, and in such a way that it feels like you’re sitting around talking crime with your best buddy.
TABLE MANNERS WITH JESSIE WARE
If you’re missing having friends over for dinner and spending wine-fuelled hours chatting about anything and everything, you’ll love Table Manners with Jessie Ware – yes, the singer/song-writer, Jessie Ware. Jessie hosts this amazing podcast, all about food, family, and the beautiful art of having a chat, direct from her very own dinner table. With a little bit of help from her chef extraordinaire mum Lennie, the guests come from the worlds of music, culture and politics and drop by for a bite to eat and a bit of a natter. It’s a wonderful concept that can’t quite make up for missed dinner parties but certainly helps.
THE WAITING ROOM WITH DR ALEX
A new one for the DFD team that we’re still to tune into, The Waiting Room with Dr Alex is a topical favourite amongst the UK’s dog owners. In this podcast, one of the nation’s most popular TV doctors, Alex George, speaks to healthcare heroes who go above and beyond to care for their patients, along with expert guests and celebrities. If you’re interested in finding inspiring ways to improve your health and wellbeing while you’re walking your furry friend, this is the listen for you.
