my consistent walking buddy

My niece temporarily moved in about three weeks ago. She has a dog. Right now she is working retail so guess who walks the dog? Yep. Me.

On the plus side, he loves to walk. He'd go for hours if I'd let him. I wish I could take him on trails, or on long urban walks. But I cannot. He doesn't like other animals -- dogs, cats, squirrels, bunnies, flying leaves or Doritos bags. Therefore we take the same half-mile route each time and I have to be radar focused on my surroundings. Who knows what is lurking in the cemetery.

Depending on my work schedule we walk twice every day. Occasionally three times. Generally around lunch time, and again near dusk. Otherwise he's relegated to the yard.

This week has been quite the dog walking adventure. There were dogs everywhere. Dogs nearly breaking down the door of their house, dogs jumping out of cars, dogs hitting a T-intersection at the same time I do. I've somehow managed to avoid them all. But I don't know how. I guess it's the laser focus. I even managed to avoid the Asian girls to whom I yelled "please don't come in the cemetery. My dog hates other dogs." They did.

On the up-side let's just say the stray cat problem in my yard is reduced. They have learned that a d-o-g lives here now. (But just in my yard. As expected, they are multiplying like crazy. My cute kittens from July are now of kitten-bearing age. I saw Polka Dot yesterday. She is either preggers or very fat. I'm guessing preggers. Phillipe next door says there are 14. Like me, he tried rescue places to no avail.)