Walking the dog

Morning dog walks are no longer done in the dark. There is now enough nautical twilight to light the trails without the need of flashlights. The temperatures have climbed and I don’t need a sweatshirt. Spring has arrived.

Better light and temps allow us to use some paths not used in months. Harper seems pleased by this expansion of possibilities. She’s grown older; she’s not charging out the door as if late for a party. Our walks go just a tad slower but no less appreciated. Harper seems more interested inspecting interesting sniffs than getting somewhere.

A Spo-fan* wrote to ask if we ever see others out on our walks. At 5PM there are not many. Thems out at that hour are often jogging; they whiz by without as much as a how-do-you-do.  Sometimes we encounter other dogs. There is a rubric when approaching such parties. Each set sizes each other up for the other’s dog for size and looks for signs of aggression.  “Is your dog friendly?” is a common question. “Yes,” I reply (using a friendly voice) “She’s and old dog and quite friendly”.  The words “she” and “old” are useful to appease the other. Harper  often walks by without interaction at all. This is sometimes seen as a disappointment and there are slights made about her ‘not being that friendly’.  Others want assurance against fights but they take mild umbrage when there is no doggy-interaction. I sense they think Harper is a snob.

They are not wrong that at 5AM Harper isn’t out to socialize she is out to smell the sniffs. My agenda is she empties her bladder and bowels. While we walk I listen to the podcasts on my roster that are five minutes or less. Winter morning dog walks are less than 10 minutes; the spring/summer strolls expand to 15 or more.

Regardless of the time of the year or the length of the walks all morning ablutions end with the obligatory trip to the pantry for a dental stick. These brown plastic looking sticks (about 5 inches) conjure up something out of NASA for space-feed. They don’t look at all appetizing but Harper eats them with relish.

Thus endeth the dog walk – and this entry.  🙂

 

*I forget which one but I remember he is well over four feet.