Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday Morning Dog Walks are Weird

I don't know how else to explain it.  Friday Morning Dog Walks are Weird.

If anything oddball is going to happen, it will happen on a Friday Morning.

Opening one eye and seeing the clock glowering in red digits at me 5:10, I pretended I wanted to get out of bed.  The moment I stirred, Rack, my faithful side kick started dusting the floor and the boxes under the bed with his tail.  He doesn't sleep that soundly, and as a result, neither do I.   He did, however, want to get a start on the day.

A start we did get.  For once, he was a step ahead of me.  Gobbling his food down with an uncharacteristic vigor, I then got him suited up in purple harness and collar and we got out the door.

Walking to the corner near the Mango Tree, I heard a THUMP followed by a rolling fruit down the incline to my right boot.   Ahh, breakfast!  That one would be 10 ounces of tree ripened fruit for the morning meal.

We took the mango back to the front porch and went back out past the tree.  Nope, no more fruit threatening to bean one of us on our way out to the Shops.

I was earlier than the scruffy scavenger and his equally scruffy dog who do an admirable impression of a line printer scouring the corners looking for change and dropped treasures.

We didn't care, the dog just wanted his walk.

But today, he had energy.  It was going to be a strange walk as a result.

For a puppy of less than a year, 8 months we've been told, has to be trained on the etiquette of walking.  Don't pull on the leash, it makes people cross.   Don't cross people, it makes them trip.

In the span of 100 feet inside of the large parking lot where the bars are, Rack did both.

Training Issues.  If I could train children on how to use computers, I could certainly train an eager dog on how to stay on the right side of me.

Step-step-tug-yank.
Step-step-tug-yank.
Step-step-tug-yank.
Step-step-tug-yank.

We made our way down to Old City Hall lot and City Hall. 

Step-step-tug-yank.
Step-step-tug-yank.
Step-step-tug-yank.
Step-step-tug-yank.

Oooh, Shiny object!

Walking back, I was waved to by one of the police officers passing City Hall.  The deep roar of the secondaries kicking in as he drove to apprehend someone or a donut for the 6am briefing that was due shortly.

It's a Friday Morning, running into people at this time of day is never quite unexpected, but always out of the ordinary.  I did my good deed for the day when I got to the Post Card and was asked by someone sitting on a bench about what he could do about his dead phone battery.  Suppressing the desire to say something silly, I pointed him toward a cup of coffee and the always open diner on Wilton Drive and we parted company.

I saw the stranger go into the diner, so his needs for a charger were actually legitimate.  Who knew?

Mr Dog was back to his step-step-tug-yank rhythm.  We were well past the 3/4 mark in the walk.  This was getting tiresome.  My right shoulder was getting stiff.   Finally, I decided to simply stop and allow him to reset his energy.

Counting to ten usually helps.   Not the dog, me.  Working with a dog, you must always maintain an appropriate level of energy. 

We walked onward toward our destination.   Stopping helped a lot.  He wasn't pulling on me on that last block past the Italian Restaurant, nor was he when we got in sight of the house.

On the other hand, there's an aspirin in my future.  My little boy needs a remedial walk once my feet cool off.  Two miles before coffee starting at 5:30 in the morning requires a special kind of strength.  It may also require a short yellow bus for this sort of special minded activity.


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