Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Dog Walk Hour

Sometimes getting up a wee bit later can be a nice thing.

I've got house guests for the week.  I've been looking forward to having my friend David down here from Key West for two years now.  He finally got his ducks in a row and will be here through at least Sunday. 

I got him and all his livery here last night and we settled down for a chat about old times and how crazy things can be and before we knew it, it was well after 11.   I'm an early riser at any rate, so being up at 11 meant that I'd end up sliding my self out of bed a wee bit later than usual.   In this case it was true as well.  A whole 45 minutes late! 

Big deal you may say... and so do I.  My schedule is quite flexible, so therefore a mere three quarters of an hour is not a crisis, merely notable. 

When you slide your schedule and go "off peak" you may notice differences in things happening if you are observant.  Being an IT Manager, Consultant, Project Manager, Business Analyst - all of which are appropriate depending on which hat I'm wearing, I am very observant.  It is required. 

Most people are rigidly bound to a schedule.   If you walk past a particular place at a set time daily, you will notice that the same car will pass by roughly at the same time.  You will find that you are waving to the same shop owner as they set out their tables and chairs for the day.  Your neighbors are all walking their dogs at the same time in roughly the same pattern daily.

That being said, is the basis for a lot of police work in finding lost people and watching for crimes.  If there's someone strange in the neighbourhood, you may want to take notice.

In my case, I am usually up and out before sunrise since that is when Mrs Dog feels the need to go for a long sniff.  Border Collies need a lot of exercise, and mine is no exception.  I give her between 2 and 3 miles a day walk and she's a very fit middle aged lady of 9. 

At sunrise, there are usually few people out.   I don't tend to run into many people at that hour with their dogs, and since mine is fearful, it is probably for the best.  

Today I got out and did the normal walk a bit later... And I Ran Into Everyone.  This was a pleasant surprise for me, as I got to see some of my favourite people in the city.  Their dogs are usually entertaining, and mine just wants to avoid them or herd them, her choice. 

I did get to see some of my favourite dog owners walking about, and one in particular always amuses me.  This woman is over 30, quite fit, and a very personable person.  I always smile after seeing her.  Her dog is a very passive and fearful mixed breed who has an intriguing habit.  She sees another dog and collapses onto the ground in a crouch and stays as if glued to the spot until you pass with your dog.  So as you're laughing and commenting with the owner, the dog is sitting there with worried brown eyes, my dog is going away as if repelled because she's a fearful dog as well, and we're both ignoring the dogs. 

A brief chat, and I've passed far enough for her dog and she pops up as if spring loaded to walk away happy.  Crisis averted! 

Fun and quirky island filled with fun and quirky people and their dogs. 

As you move on you hear the dogs owner say to her "Kevin, you're a ding dong" with a chuckle then you walk on home and have your coffee and biscuits with a smile on your face.

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