Ginger Zee Exudes Outdoor Chic During Hike With Her Pup

Ginger Zee looks stylish as she discusses the importance of keeping your dog on a leash in a new video shared on Instagram. ABOVE: Ginger Zee at the 2024 Disney Upfront Event.

Ginger Zee is proving she's a style icon in and out of the office with a video she uploaded to Instagram earlier this week.

The chief meteorologist and climate correspondent for ABC documented a recent walk she took with one of her adorable pups, sharing an important message throughout the May 28 clip and its caption.

But before she got into it (and out of the house), Zee threw on a gray racerback tank and put her hair in a stylish, messy bun. Still rocking her makeup from earlier in the day and some gold jewelry, she embodied cool, outdoorsy vibes.

"Story time about my old dog Otis and leashes," the 43-year-old began in the clip of her enjoying a sun-drenched walk on an outdoor trail.  "So Otis was a lab; he was truly the best dog in the world–loved him dearly, brought him everywhere, and rarely had him on a leash because he was so well-behaved that I didn't think that we needed one."

"And he was so sweet and great with kids," Zee added, reiterating, "He was so great that I didn't need a leash, or so I thought."

"Now that I have Brucie and Brando, both rescues, I notice that it is incredibly unfair when other dogs are not on a leash and they come at them because they are not great," she said. "They are rescues and I don't know what their background was."

Zee then explained how her rescues must feel when an unleashed dog prances towards them, suggesting the pups become reactive because "He feels trapped, he feels like he can't defend himself or get away."

"Also because I know someone will come for me and be like, 'You should train him,' we've done a lot of training," Zee shared. "And we've done a lot of socializing–as much as we can–and some dogs, as we've been told by three different trainers, just might never be to that level."

"Good walk, though," she joked while panning to her exhausted pup stretched out on the floor.

"Until we adopted our current dogs I never understood why people got so bent out of shape about dogs off leash… now I get it," she continued in the caption, "It’s not fair to the dogs that have a less than desirable upbringing and who aren’t as good at making friends. #OffLeash #Leash #Dogs #AdoptDon’tShop #GetYourRescueOn #DogLife #DogWalk."

Though Zee was prepared for social media users to criticize her over the pro-leash lecture, most of the replies agreed with the messaging of her story.

"Thank you Ginger for rescuing your pups and being a responsible owner!????," one top-liked comment gushed.

"Agree 1000%!!!" another exclaimed before sharing their own anecdote about adopting a rescue.

"Leashes are important, even well-trained dogs can have an off-day. Especially if they are startled and take off," a third shared in part.

"Yes!!! Dogs should always be on a leash when walking in a public setting, no matter how well behaved they are," one more fan suggested. "Thank you for the PSA."

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