New Dog Owner Odyssey

Change of pace

On TUE 9/1, I changed things up on Sammy a little bit. My walking routine had been pretty consistent up to that point:

• relatively brief walk first thing in the morning; 
• relatively long walk, usually over to Skyview Lake, which is about 1/2 mile from our house, over the noon hour; 
• relatively short walk at bedtime. 

The noon hour walk was getting pretty warm, so I finally did what I'd been telling myself I should be doing--I did my longer walk over to the lake first thing in the morning. * Temperatures have been fairly mild for this time of year, but this week's temps are higher, so it made sense.
   
My second change on TUE 9/1 was to go left-handed, i.e., I am right-handed ** but switched over to my left hand while having him on his leash & harness. That change came about because my right shoulder had become increasingly sore; the night before (MON 8/31), it was actually throbbing when I went to bed, & I even taken 2 Tylenol. *** What else could I attribute this to besides hauling the dog around by my right arm?
* It wasn't really "first thing in the morning" on Tuesday. My ride to the bi-weekly Grace Lutheran Men's Bible Study came at 6:45a. Lois took Sammy outside for a short walk, feeling that she owed it to him to allow him to empty his bladder. I didn't get him out until closer to 8:45a.
** I may be right-handed, but I found out years ago that I am also fairly right-brained, which was actually quite liberating for me to know. That's a topic perhaps for a separate post. It does give you somewhat of an insight into my many "asides," if you know anything about right-brainededness(?).
*** Generally, I try to avoid taking Tylenol, which is definitely linked to "rebound" headaches, given my history with cluster headaches. Oops, there I go again!]

Duh

In an earlier New Dog Owner's entry, I apologized to the Birch family, because I felt badly. While on a walk with Sammy by the lake, I was momentarily distracted, which allowed him to make a post [if you catch my drift] literally on a post. There is an arboretum [Look it up yourself.] at Skyview Lake, & many of the trees have a post, which identifies the tree. Sammy left his "message" on a post which identified the tree as a river birch & further ascribed it to the "Birch Family." I felt badly, because I speculated that it might be the family of Dr. Larry Birch, our former family physician--a man we have a very high degree of respect & admiration for.
      Well, due to my amazing powers of observation & deduction, I have noticed something about these posts. These markers always identify the tree, as well as the family of the tree. If the tree is planted in memory of someone, that information is added to the post. Example:  "Colorado White Spruce. Pine family. In memory of John Doe." The post Sammy originally marked only notes "River Birch. Birch Family." It's a fairly safe bet * that this marker does NOT memorialize a tree donated by the actual Birch family in honor of the actual Dr. Larry Birch.
* I cringe a little whenever I use this word or phrase, since I am a member of the Nebraska State Gamblers' Assistance Commission, appointed by the Governor & confirmed by the unicameral. I even have a certificate, apparently signed by the Governor himself, if you need proof.

Naughty Dog

Sammy does not socialize well with other dogs. When we are on our jaunts, I must be constantly vigilant to avoid unpleasant encounters. An unpleasant encounter unfolds like this.

• Sammy observes another dog. Maybe it's also on walk, too. Maybe it's in a yard. It might even be incarcerated behind a fence.
• The key is "proximity." I define "proximity" as that point at which Sammy feels his personal * space is being encroached upon.
• As the distance closes, Sammy goes on "high alert," defined as . . . 
• He strains at his harness & leash. He makes huffing noises, which can quickly turn into growling, jaw-snapping, snarling, insane barking . . . Time for an aside.

Aside

• Get a dog, it will have a calming effect, they said.
• You'll have to take the dog for walks, they said. 
• It will get you out of the house, they said.
• Exercise & getting outside more often . . . good for people suffering from chronic depression & anxiety, they said.

When you are maintaining a constant state of vigilance while you are walking your dog, doing your utmost to notice & forestall afore-mentioned encounters, I would not choose a phrase like "calming effect" to describe it . . . But I digress.

Losing my train of thought

Where was I? Oh, yeah . . . Sammy can be a naughty dog. I think, on the whole, we've done some bonding. I'm not much of a cuddly-type, but Lois is, & it's obvious when you watch the two of them interact. When I get home from a walk with Sammy & he discovers that she is at home, he can barely contain his joy. He's all over her. When he & I are at home & she returns, he can barely contain his joy. He's all over her.

He does not treat me this way, although he does treat me with a modicum [Gotta love that word!] of affection & [more of less] respect.

It's SAT 9/12. We're watching back episodes of "Burn Notice" on Netflix, & the Season 2 finale just ended, so I need hit "pause", metaphorically speaking [which I'm allowed to do whenever I want, because I was a secondary English major]. I need to take Sammy for a walk. I'll try to pick up where I left off tomorrow.

It's tomorrow . . . Sun 9/13

It's approximately 24 hours later. Lois & I are in the process of watching the first two episodes of "Burn Notice," Season 3, on Netflix. And I have totally lost whatever train of thought I was working on yesterday. Totally derailed! Second episode is almost over. It's getting dark. Time to take Sammy out again.