Day 36

6/16/22

In Minnesota, after a day of heat, followed by a day of rain, EVERYONE comes out of their homes on a beautiful day such as today! Not only people...but dogs as well!

Gus and I took the first walk and that puppy was overwhelmed by the vast number of dogs on our route today! It was almost like a parade at some points when I would have to pause to take a turn to merge onto the path in-between two different dogs!

Now, Gus has a habit of simply plopping down to watch out of his one good eye as dogs, people, squirrels, errant papers or just about anything that moves appears in his "bubble". This space around him seems to consist of at least 50 feet! We did SO MUCH sitting today! I finally decided to catch him at the perfect moment to reinforce the "sit" command! It was a little sketchy, but people were impressed as Gus sat over and over...who was I to explain that he was on his way down anyway!

There was an Australian shepherd, another golden, a pug, a poodle, a "doodle-something" and the parade just kept coming! Attached to every leash was a human on the other end! Some of these people were our regulars, but others were strangers to us, who had never stopped us before (just ask my kids), so I would greet them with a smile, nod or full-blown conversation!

I have been stopped by people who inquire as to whether I am a professional dog-walker. I have also been waylaid by people who feel I must have the answers to the training, health and well-being of dogs in general. I must have one of those faces!

Today, a lovely woman named Jackie stopped me and asked to pet Gus. She then announced that she was getting a new lab puppy next week. We stood and talked for at least 20 minutes and by the time she left, she had my opinions on collars, training methods, veterinarians in the area, dog food, and dog schools. We had a lovely visit, but I hope she didn't take my beliefs as absolute truths!