Barely a day goes by without Dan Kifer taking his best friends for long walks along the Shoshone River after a trip into town to get the mail. At 79, most would feel the daily sometimes miles-long walks, especially after a life filled with back problems. But Kifer swears the one-to-two walks per day are keeping him healthy — and very happy.

Kifer has been through back surgery twice due to a car accident and deterioration of the discs in his lower back. But you wouldn’t know it by watching him go.

“You use it, or you lose it,” he said.

With few exceptions, Kifer walks his pups more than a mile. But, often the trio takes a double dose of exploration along the Shoshone River, whether it is two separate walks or one long walk, logging as many as 3 miles.

They start their day with an early walk. Then they spend the rest of the day doing chores in the garden and heading to town for shopping and to get the mail. While Dan is the “alpha male,” Bailey, a large Irish setter, leads the charge when away from home. However, once they are at home and despite giving up about 60 pounds, Cairn terrier Bailey is the boss.

These are not pampered pets. They are in and out of the water and walking through the woods every day. To combat the dirt accumulated on each adventure, Kifer bought a vehicle just for them. To put it lightly, it’s not the kind of car you’d take on a long trip. Nor would you want to endure the smell of a decade of trips to the river and roles in the mud.

On difficult days, the happy pups get a bath before they return to the confines of their home, but after they’ve been in the American sub-compact car. Even if they’ve just returned from the groomers, there isn’t a chance his pups will stay dry through the day. Dan doesn’t care. Whatever keeps them happy; he owes it to them for all they do to keep him feeling young.

“I think any kind of pet keeps you on your toes, keeps you young and helps with your memory,” he said.

Exercise is important, but Kifer insists his friendly doggos also help to remind him to be kind, no matter what he’s doing.

“They also teach us [humans] about how to get along,” he says.

Kifer spent his life working in schools as a speech language pathologist. In 2001 he took a job in the Big Horn County school system prior to heading to Powell. He and his lovely wife, Kathy, eventually moved into a beautiful home with a view of the Shoshone River Valley. The couple have been together for 48 years, sharing the entire trip with pups.

Kifer was raised with dogs and only lived without one while going to college.

“After that, I’ve always had dogs,” he said.

This is not just a benefit from staying active that Kifer finds helpful. A recent study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland found that dog owners over the age of 65 have fitness levels a decade younger than their actual age. The research, published in the journal Preventative Medicine, also found that owning dogs can have a beneficial effect on the mental health for seniors. Many previous studies have found fewer symptoms of depression and decreases in blood pressure and healthy heart rates. This is the first study to look properly at levels of physical activity due to dog ownership in the over-65 group.

Who doesn’t need a dose of happiness? The study also found the length of a walk doesn’t make any difference to the positive effects of dog walking. Of those who took part in the study, the dog owners on average showed significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Over a seven-day period, participants were asked to wear an accelerometer which measured their movements. Of the group, the dog owners were not only more physically active, but their levels of activity were equivalent to much younger people.

“Our results show that dog ownership is associated with an increased level of physical activity in the over-65s. On average, older dog owners were 12% more active than their counterparts who did not own a dog,” said Senior Lecturer in the School of Geosciences Dr. Zhiqiang Feng.

Only 12%? That seems low considering Kifer’s daily routine.

Kifer will be confirmed as an octogenarian on March 1, yet when he runs into friends at the end of a 1.5-mile walk, he’ll turn around and do the entire walk again. He and his friends will laugh until their cheeks are sore, filling the valley with joy, as the pups check out every nook and cranny of the ecosystem. The routine also helps keep his pets, both about a decade old, happy and healthy.

The fun doesn’t end at the end of the walks, he said.

“When I’m out gardening stuff, they’re always with me, they want to be where I am,” he said.

While the exercise may not be as intense as Kifer’s sports history — he played football, basketball and ran track as a teen — they help ease the pain of injuries he had to his ankles and knees.

“As we age, there are always concerns about memory loss. But the one thing I don’t mind is forgetting about the pain,” he said.

And at the end of the day when it’s time to relax, the Kifers exercise their fingers and hearts, constantly comforting their best friends with pats, scratches and an occasional smooch.