Most people like to get out in the woods, commune with nature and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors. Ken Miller thinks dogs do, too. 
The 46-year-old kennel owner, who studied psychology at Georgia State University, recently put his idea to a test when he began a nature walk for dogs at his Sugarloaf Pet Resort, a kennel and pet training center on 16 hilly acres in Alpharetta.   

So far, he said, his charges have been fairly jumping at the idea.  "Dogs are social animals," Mr. Miller observed. "They need to be handled by people when they're away from their family and in a kennel,
partly to relieve the stress of being in a strange place and partly to give them some exercise while their folks are away on vacation."
It's an idea that seems to be spreading among kennel owners across the country.

 Mr. Miller, a former restaurant owner, offers his nature walk service to dog owners who are going out of town. Once a day, a kennel staff member takes the dog for a half-hour walk on the Sugarloaf property.   He got the notion from Rick Smith, who owns a lakeside kennel in Elk
Rapids, Mich.  Mr. Smith started play periods for his canine guests, which included having an employee throw a Frisbee to them. It went over big both with dogs and their owners, Mr. Miller said.  "When the people drove up, they saw this beautiful young girl playing with the dogs by the water, and they were  impressed," Mr. Miller
said.  Recreation for animals in kennels has become a national trend, said Pat Colt, editor of a trade publication of the American Boarding Kennel
Association in Colorado Springs.

 "One kennel in Calgary offers cats playhouses that have rooms with real trees and playthings for them to romp with," she said. "Another in St. Louis has a romping corral where the dogs can play with kennel personnel and other dogs, and I've heard of some kennels that have hiking
and swimming programs, and even special walks for older pets."  Mr. Miller has even heard of a California "fat farm" for dogs, and he is considering starting an obstacle course for his weekly guests, he said.