drizzly skies

Well, Henry and I had a nice walk in the early morning. No frost today, but it is definitely cap and gloves weather. For my demographic anyway.

 

 

 

I've come to appreciate all the sprawling office spaces, the comfort inns and the like in my neighborhood -- they have grassy fields for my pooch to sniff out. Much better than having him traipse over someone's private lawn. People understandably do not appreciate dead grass where your dog has emptied his bladder. The corporate fields, on the other hand, are so thick from fertilizer and weed killer (all that stuff that then goes to our lakes and creates algae bloom in the summer), that a dog puddle has no impact on the entirety. I'm not on the side of these places that grow lawns. I've never liked them. But at least for Henry, they serve a purpose. 

Breakfast.

It's a quiet day for us. I have an ear out to my daughter -- she is far from well. For some reason the pneumonia hit her especially hard. But I get no calls for assistance, so Henry and I stay home. 

 

 

 

I work on some training: we are up to four minutes of alone time without wailing! We continue with the usual sits and waits and comes and hang backs. 

The drizzle begins early and that's fine -- we still find it easy to go out, often, but for briefer spells. I do not want to go to the doggie park so we play at home. Big dog, small home. It's not the best combination, but it will have to do. For at least nine more months. 

So is my time completely spent now on watching, training, walking, feeding Henry? Sometimes it seems that way, but of course -- this is what I always thought with dogs: they need a lot of your attention when they're young. Henry is an active dog. You can't let him get too bored in life or else he'll go after your slippers. Or worse. By comparison, Goose is a much less demanding animal, content to sleep next to you for a good chunk of the day. What a difference a year makes! Or maybe Henry will always be a more energetic pooch. He sure appears that way now. By afternoon, I sense that he needs a little more action than what he has at the Edge. I take him for yet another walk.

(Three readers highly recommended a harness for walking an active dog... they were so right. Game changer indeed!) 

 

 

And still, after a walk that maxed out the minutes this dog should walk in any one day, he seemed like he needed something more. 

I took him to the little dog exercise area that is part of the Edge. It is padded with quite yukky astroturf. I get it -- a dirt patch of this small size would not work. It would be all mud in a matter of days. But after the day-long drizzle, it smelled of dog pee. I thought of leaving, but then I paused to watch Henry.

He loved it! Someone had left tennis balls and my pooch was thrilled,  running with one, then throwing it in the air for an attempted catch. 

Was he tired after? Well, not exactly. Active dogs dont tire that quickly. I see I am going to be tempted with half-day doggie daycare!

 

Ed comes over this evening for supper, for a Henry walk, and for an overnight.

 

It's really good to have another human with me, one who doesn't need to hear commands to sit and stay. He does it of his own accord. Until tomorrow anyway, when he has to return to the farmette animals.

with so much love...