I try to walk the neighborhood at least 4 days a week.... about 1.5 miles per lap... 2 laps per day. This week is more challenging than most because not only do I have Toby (my Blue Lacey) I am dog sitting Baby Girl... my daughter's dog, while my she is off fishing with her brother and father in Canada this week. She is wary of me and tends to pull as far away as the leash will allow... and of course in the opposite direction from Toby . I am really lucky that Toby is so well behaved. Baby Girl and I are still getting used to each other and she is warming up to me as we spend time together each day.
It's a beautiful sunny morning and we're walking along, and a new challenge presented itself.... an escapee convention at the back of the neighborhood. Two yapping poodles and a barking wolf hound escaped their confines and decided to play with another neighborhood escapee this morning... then we came walking along. I'm sure if someone had taken a picture it would have looked quite comical to see me trying to to stay upright as dogs ran circles around me barking and trying to sniff each other all the while trying to keep from tangling in the two leashes. I was about to let go of the leashes or go down, when, thank goodness, the owner of the three came by and called them off. The other loose one ran off with them and we went on our merry way.
A little farther down the road is a cat convention! Five cats lined up at the end of the driveway just sitting there daring the dogs to mess with them! I wish I had a camera to show you how they lined up... first a white one then a white/brown then a white/brown black, then a solid brown and lastly a solid black. I found it amazing that they would line up in color order like that. What was more amazing to me was that they didn't move a muscle as we went by with the dogs pulling and whimpering to go investigate.
Another obstacle was the neighborhood AARF volunteer (with four foster dogs and two of her own) I don't know how she could stand her ground and hold on to 6 dogs who wanted to come investigate us.
We passed by two more neighborhood escapees walking through the empty lot area. Toby and Baby Girl whimpered to go check them out but I managed to keep them moving along.
The scariest encounter was when a neighbors doberman came sneaking up behind us. He is so quiet and before you know it he is just a couple feet away. Both dogs noticed him a millisecond after I did ... just enough time for me to plant my feet and keep from being pulled into a barking chase as he took off running as soon as my guys started barking. I think he startled Toby and Baby Girl too. I am told he is a very friendly dog, but I don't like the way he sneaks up close and it's just plain scary to suddenly see this mean-looking dog so close and staring at me.
The morning's adventure is done and I'm ready to spend some quality quilting time before my grandson arrives this afternoon. He will keep me busy over the next several days. I can't wait to see what will happen on our walk tomorrow with him added to the mix.... NOT!
