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.
 Such services are good for the animals as well as their masters,
Mrs. Colt said. "It's good because the owners feel that their pets are
getting some extra attention when they're away," she added.
 Suzie Prettyman, an Alpharetta resident who regularly boards her
black Labrador, Gunner, at Mr. Miller's facility, loves the nature walk
idea.
 "It makes me feel good and not so guilty when I'm away, and it gives
me peace of mind," she said. "I know Gunner is not cooped up inside when
I'm gone."
Color photo: Ken Miller, owner of Sugarloaf Pet Resort in Alpharetta,
takes client Beau for a walk on the 16-acre site. DALE WILSON / Staff

(KEN MILLER SOLD SUGARLOAF IN 1992)