The fact that you have an animal that has to be walked on a leash several times a day forces you outside several times a day come rain or shine. If you take the dog outside 3 times a day, that is 1,095 times a year that you are forced to walk outside with a cute, fuzzy, four legged bundle of joy in front of you. When you walk past other people they will invariably say something about your dog since, after all, our own pet is always the most adorable creature known to man. At the very least "Fluffy" will bark at or sniff the passerby resulting in a "don't worry, he doesn't bite" comment from the pet owner or a "what a cutie" comment from the passerby. This then turns into a whole conversation about the dog. The passerby must know the dogs name and then there is conversation about breed or if the dog is a mutt - rescue shelters. Then you are launched into a big drawn out conversation about the animal in question, past pets of either participant in the conversation and that could even lead into other topics. I know this because I am usually the passerby.
It is beyond me how someone as antisocial as I am can continually be drawn into conversations with complete strangers because of a dog. They are like conversation magnets. I know the name of half of the dogs in Willow Greene Condominiums but I only know the names of 3 humans here. This is why single people go to dog parks. If a single person ever tells you that they take "Fluffy" to the dog park because the little fur ball loves it, they are lying to you. They take "Fluffy" to the dog park in hopes of starting up a conversation with Mr. or Miss Right - end of discussion. In 9 out of 10 cases that same person sat and stared at "Fluffy" yesterday while it was raining and "Fluffy" was sitting at the front door with his leash in his mouth whining and he cursed "Fluffy" because once again regardless of the weather he was going to be forced to walk the dog.
Yesterday was supposed to be our first 100 degree day of the year. According to the NWS it only got up to 99 at the airport. But on my patio according to my thermometer it was 102. I get very little circulation out there so it is usually a little warmer out there than at the airport. Anyway, for the next several days the anticipated highs are supposed to continue to be at or near 100. My guess would be that this will continue until about the second week of September. But I am no meteorologist. With that in mind, it will be hard for me to open the door for the 30 seconds it takes for my cats to walk out on the patio and get a little fresh 100 degree air. I cannot imagine taking a dog for a walk 2 or 3 times a day for the next couple of months.
A few years ago, before I got Shiner, I really wanted a puppy. I thought it would be good for Jingle and I love dogs despite the fact that I have always had cats. The cat thing is really just a result of cats being easier pets and we all know that I am all about easy. Anyway, my mom talked me out of it because she kept reminding me that the dog wouldn't care what the weather was like when it was time for a walk. If it was cold and raining at 5:30 a.m. and he needed to do his business, I would be soaking wet at 5:30 a.m. and walking along side of him. Worst of all, I would be carrying a little bag to pick up after him when he was done. That was all it took for me to continue as the cat person that I have always been. Being a dog person when you don't have a fenced backyard takes a lot of dedication and no consideration of the elements.
A month or so ago, I was trying to think of businesses I could start. At that time, I was brainstorming, writing down anything I thought of. Dog walker came to mind. It was immediately dismissed. Too many of the people who live near me are retired and stay at home with their dog all day, so they don't need that. Plus, my complex isn't big enough to have many clients and there are no other places around here that might have clients. Let's face it the people in the "projects" on McCallum probably don't require the services of a dog walker. And the people in the expensive homes north of me have backyards. The place where this would work would be in uptown. If I lived there, I might have put up flyers a month or two ago to see if I could get a few clients and I might have started walking their dogs and then today would have come along.
I carried out the trash at 10 this morning. When I walked outside it was 88 degrees and already so hot that the wall of heat just sort of hit you. I mean, 88 degrees really isn't even all that hot unless the humidity is just right. But apparently, it is just right today. Because it seemed REAL hot. As I was coming back from the dumpster thinking about calling the air conditioner people today to set up a maintenance appointment a neighbor with a dog walked by. I didn't think, "Wow! She must really love that dog!" or "What a cute dog" or even "Today is a good day to be a cat owner". Nope! I thought "I bet every time she bends over a big steaming pile of poop to pick it up until the second week of September she is going to think of a new name to call that dog and it won't be Fluffy".
So thanks Mom, for making me see reason a few years ago when I thought a puppy would have been a great thing. Thanks to Ed Lowe, the inventor of clay based cat litter. And most importantly thanks for Jingle and Shiner for being smart enough to know that when it is this hot outside, asleep on my couch is the best place to be.
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