My Dog's Life

I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and thinking I need to get moving and get ready for work when I glance over at one of the dogs sleeping on the couch.  Dimples is my current foster dog and today I wish I could do what he's doing along with my dog, Alby.  Neither one of them will feel tired today.  Neither one of them has to fix their hair or shower and yet everyone will tell them how great they look and want to pet them and lavish attention on them.

Dimples stretched out on the couch

Just before I leave for work they'll each get a treat and I'll tuck Dimples into his crate where he can stretch out on the soft bedding I've put in there.  I'll leave music on for the two of them so they don't miss me too much - which maybe is just for me but it makes me feel better so does the reason really matter?  I've also left the radio on upstairs tuned in to NPR.  Dogs just love Morning Edition.

Every weekday my alarm goes off at 530 am.  Coffee is waiting for me downstairs because I make it the night before and set the timer and I can smell it as I stretch and work on opening my eyes.  I have seconds to spare before I'm pounced on by a dog - normally my own, but sometimes the foster too - nudging me not so gently to get on with things!

"Hit the bathroom lady and get a move on!" they seem to tell me, "I have to go too!"  I grab my glasses off the nightstand, and so our day begins.

Alby snoozing in the home office

In the summertime when it's light out as soon as we get up, I like to head out the door with the dogs at 6 am, right after they eat.  In the winter though we'll wait until 7 am.  We have several routes we take along the pathways in our neighborhood, each about 3.5 miles long, and we're out about an hour or so depending on who we see along the way.  We have been known to stop and chat with our neighbors, especially on weekends.

The dogs love the walks - they can barely stand still as I leash everyone up before we walk out the door.  In the morning I have to remind them that this is an exercise walk, not a sniffing walk, and that if we keep stopping every five feet we're not really getting exercise.  I pull them along and sometimes they pull me along.

An hour long walk in the morning is plenty for each of us and we're all happy to get back inside.  Treats await the dogs and if we walked early, coffee and breakfast await me.

Once back at home the dogs are quiet because they've eaten, they've exercised and now they like to plop down and chill.  This is my time to scramble and get ready to head to work, or on weekends, to kick back myself for a bit - surfing the internet, blogging or reading a book, and sometimes, cleaning and doing laundry that I can't get to during the work week.  It's also the dog's opportunity to pull the old "I want to go out"  and "I want to come back in" routine.

"Hey, lady, I slept for an hour and I need to go out and you look way too comfortable."....and five minutes later "Bark!! Bark!! I need to come back in!!".   In warmer weather I have a floppy screen that hangs on a tension rod across the sliding glass door.  I'll leave the door open so the dogs can go in  and out at will and hang out on the deck.  Alby likes to lay in the sun until he gets really hot, then come in and cool off and then do it all over again.

When I leave for work in the mornings Alby gets a little anxious.  I say to him, "Have a great day Alby, I love you.  You're in charge!" and he races up the stairs to jump on my bed and hump my pillows.  How do I know he does this?  I've caught him in the act when I had to run back inside for something I forgot.

During those times when we have no foster and Alby is an only dog, he gets to head over to my Mom and Dad's house to hang out with their dog and be spoiled while I'm at work.  Dogs in our family get a treat for nearly anything they do.  Oh, you just came inside?  You must need a treat.  Oh, you walked down the stairs?  Here, let me get you a treat...

Dimples and Alby Keeping Watch on a Rainy Day

When I walk in my door after a long day at work I am greeted by excited, leaping beasts who are so happy that I'm finally home.  Someone is finally here to let them outside!  They are well rested and looking for dinner and attention while I am looking to veg out and give my brain a break.  The dogs will have none of that though.  I get their dinner and then I take them for an evening loop around the neighborhood.  Unlike the morning walk I let them linger and sniff to their hearts content which they love.

Back inside it's time for another treat because they don't get enough of those!  Then, they might grab a favorite toy and look for some play time, or they might keep watch at the window for anything that needs to be barked at.  If one dog is barking the second dog will come running, "I have no idea what you're barking at but I am here to help!"  It could be a squirrel or a deer, it really doesn't matter.  If we hear sirens flying down the street the barking will turn to howling.

At day's end it's once more outside, then a treat, and then we're off to bed.  Luckily I sleep in a queen size bed so there's room for everyone.  Alby likes to sleep at the foot of my bed and every once in a while one of the fosters is trustworthy and friendly enough to be allowed the privilege of sleeping with us.  We need a full night's sleep so we can do it all again tomorrow.

Cyclists Ride Way Too Fast on Columbia Pathways

Nearly every day for the past 17 years I have been walking the paths in and around Phelps Luck with my dog.  First with Maggy, and now with Alby.  On nearly every walk we've encountered cyclists - some riding on their way to work, some riding to school, and some dressed in full bike gear - shirt with back pockets, padded stretch shorts and clip in shoes - out on a training ride.  Last Monday one of those full gear cyclists was riding around Lake Elkhorn and collided with a 4 year old little girl who is now in a body cast with a broken femur.  He did not stop after the collision, but sped off instead and now the Howard County Police are looking for him.  This is not the first time a cyclist has collided with a pedestrian.  I spoke to a woman in Thunder Hill who had to have her jaw wired back into place after a collision.  That cyclist did not stop either.

Everyone, and especially in nicer weather, likes to use the paths to enjoy the outdoors.  I have felt for a very long time though that the cyclists, the vast majority of which are men, ride way too fast on these paths to coexist with the rest of us.  Some of them are very friendly, but most are incredibly rude.  They ring their bells to let us know they're coming and expect us to leap out of the way, sometimes never slowing down at all.  One man recently yelled at me "On your left!! On your left!!" as he went speeding by.  I do like to stay out of the cyclists' way because I walk a dog who would like to chase and catch a bike if he could.  In fact, we went back to basic training last fall specifically to work on him NOT chasing bikes.  I wonder what kind of training we could send these cyclists to?

Most people I talk to on the path hate the cyclists - not the kids out on bikes, not the families out for a Sunday ride, but the ones in full training gear riding at top speeds.  It's tough to be a cyclist for sure.  Out on the road cars make it very difficult for them to ride.  However, on the pathway it's unrealistic for them to be riding at road speeds.  It's clear that we've not done enough to secure bike lanes out on the roads to make it safe for cyclists and the pedestrians on our pathways are paying the price for that now.

The Columbia Association is working to widen paths, but I'm not sure that really solves the problem. Until the cyclists can ride safely along the roadways with the cars, in bike specific lanes following all the traffic laws, pedestrians along the paths will still be in danger of colliding with bikes riding way too fast.

BikeHoward cannot happen fast enough!