Tuesday, June 10, 2008

dogs running free








7 runners/groups of without dogs, 3 with; 3 walkers/groups without dogs, 3 with; no bikers. busy morning, you can tell by the 9th street lot.


oh, and lots of waxwings- not terribly disturbed by me & the dogs- up on chickadee.

at least 7 piles of opp. most coming in from camel's back in the mowed weeds. not old hard & dry either.

just read ted kerasote's merlin's door. for dog lovers, a very enjoyable book. i am not a "dogs must run free" person- our urban environment is just too dangerous for them, and it is disrespectful to other people who may be a) afraid of b) allergic to or c) just not like dogs. it grosses me out to see opp in my front yard, on the sidewalk, in the street, etc. however, what he says about dogs needing stimulation is evident in my guys. in addition to the trails, we take leashed walks and we go to the dog park. the dog park seems to bore them after a while. halle will chase other dogs around, but echo pretty much sniffs the perimeter & then hangs with me.

they're interested in the neighborhood, but it's a different thing. when we get onto the trails off leash and they can see what messages have been left, and check out the coyote scat and go dashing down the trail chasing each other their entire demeanor changes. they come when i call them, and heel when they need to, and get off the trail- it's not that they are over excited, but they do seem to be more engaged.

it seems to be as good for their mental and physical health as it is for mine.

no posts from me until next monday- off to minnesota tomorrow and thursday, then denver for the weekend. if you have something to share, please email me at idswissy@yahoo.com


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