Walking Miss Pupzilla

When we moved into our new home last January many things in our lives improved.  However the house is in a very "walking unfriendly" neighborhood and that has been a big disappointment to me.  I didn't realize that it has also been affecting Pupzilla.

For several years (and three houses) now, Pupzilla has made ample use of a backyard.  However in the old house I also took her on long walks to the park.  This was an activity we both enjoyed.  In the new house I drove her to the park once.  While there she bit another dog and she hasn't been on a walk since.

On Saturday it took her a long time to get out of bed and then she proceed to fall down.  One of her back legs just refused to work.  The vet told us that she had a "touch of arthritis" in that knee and the humidity was through the roof.  We figured that her arthritis was acting up.  Still it was sad and a little scary to see fall down the steps and not be able to get up on the couch.  In a few hours she was doing better but I decided we needed to be diligent about her exercise.

So we've been taking a constitutional after dinner every night.  Each night she goes a little further and tonight her step was jaunty.  We walk along the busy street until we can turn into a little neighborhood-y section.  There are no sidewalks but the streets are quiet there.  She walks as far as she likes and then takes a section of leash in her mouth to gently turn me around and lead me back home.  

Further Misadventures in the Land of Dirt and Rocks

Today is an amazingly beautiful day.  The type of day that would convince you spring was not just around the corner but actually here if you didn't have a calendar telling you it is still January.

I've been wanting to explore our new neighborhood since we moved in and thought today would be a perfect opportunity.  There is a large park right near us that I have visited once or twice since I moved to SouthLite.  It looked too long (and difficult) to walk to (although it will be an easy bike ride) especially with Pupzilla, so we set out in the car.

As I expected it was a busy day in the park, since everyone had the same idea as me.  However we did manage to find a parking space without too much trouble.  Pupzilla was beside herself with joy.  She has been cooped up in the house for too long.

I had been fooling around with some new apps earlier in the day and figured I'd continue to play with them on our walk.

 Pupzilla on the couch (pre-walk) shot with Instagram

 My living room shot with Pencil illusion

My lounging feet shot with Pencil illusion

The park has roads and bike trails and walking trails criss-crossing through it.  It is also an historical sight so there are monuments to see as you walk.

We were having fun but work was calling me back at home and Pupzilla has looking pretty tired and in need of a thirst-quencher.  I realized that one of the things I liked about walking in the park instead of on one of the many trails nearby is that everyone kept their dog on their leash.  There were a lot more dogs (and people) then we ever see on a trail, but no one was off leash and this put my mind at ease.

As we headed back to the car, we saw a small family coming towards us with a dog and I decided to step off the path, put Pupzilla into a sit, and wait for them to pass.  The path was very narrow and the dog looked young and frisky and I thought it best to be prudent.  However, as they slowly made their way towards us, a single gentleman with an older dog walked up behind them.  So as both groups passed us the young dog was on left side of the path (furthest away from where Pupzilla was patiently sitting) and the older dog passed on the right, right in front of us.  I already had Pupzilla on a very short leash and when I realized the dog was passing right in front of us and putting his or her nose near Pupzilla, I pulled her even closer.  Unfortunately it was not close enough.  

As many of you know, Pupzilla is not good with other dogs and we do everything we can to keep her away from them.  She has been in several fights but always the dog has done something that set her off.  I've never known her to attack without provocation (not always deserved provocation but at least I know what to be wary of).  This time she just attacked this poor dog's snout with no warning and no rhyme or reason.  I pulled her off and the whole thing was over in less than a minute but she did have this dog's nose in her mouth and bit him or her.  The dog seemed fine and the two of them were over it but I was shaken.  I apologized the minute it happened.  The man looked me straight in the eye with pure hatred before walking his dog down the road.

I don't blame him.  Neither he nor his dog did anything wrong.  I would hate a dog (and its owner) who bit my dog without provocation.  I know enough to cross to the other side if I see someone holding their dog off trail but that is because I know what dog-aggressive dogs can do.  He obviously didn't.

So I feel awful for the dog and for him.  I am also worried about what this means for taking Pupzilla on walks in the future.  Is she getting worse as she gets older?  What if we were on a trail with an unleashed dog?  I want her to get exercise and I know how much she enjoys being out of the house but the anxiety of not knowing what she will do if another dog approaches makes me want to keep her home. 

White Christmas

A Hike Built For Two

b went to some paddling extravaganza this weekend, leaving Pupzilla and I to fend for ourselves. Today was an amazingly beautiful day and I thought a hike on one of our favorite trails was in order. One of the things I really love about SouthLite is the number of greenways, trails, and paths that run through the city. In about 15 minutes you can be on a very lovely path through the woods and around the lakes.

Our hike was postponed slightly as Pumpkin and BB decided to drop by for lunch. One of Pumpkin's family members passed away this week and the viewing was today with the funeral tomorrow. This is a distant family member for Pumpkin so she is not grieving but other family members are and she is anxious to support them. I fed them leftovers and we talked a bit about funerals (this is the first one for both of them). They then changed into more appropriate attire. BB had the suit he wore to his high school prom and he has not worn it since. I think you see where this is going. He looked particularly uncomfortable as he left, especially since I had given him a rather generous helping of mac & cheese.

So our hike occurred in the afternoon. Luckily the day was cool enough that this was not a problem for Pupzilla. The trail I chose is not very hilly so that helped too.

Pupzilla waits patiently while I take her picture before we start our hike.

The beginning of the trail goes through an open field.

Pupzilla decided she needed to roll in the dried grass.

Luckily the path quickly turns wooded.

The trail goes along a lake.

Pupzilla does her version of a swim.

We walk 0n dirt.

We walk over bridges.

We walked on walkways.

Puppy got tired from so much walking but she soldiered on.

We passed big houses.

[BTW, I don't get the big house appeal. This house looks as big as some apartment buildings I've lived in. What do you do with all that space and how do you keep it clean?]

We saw wildlife

And more wildlife.

But the only flowers we saw were these little buttercups

We realized the world can be beautiful when you look at it from the top...

...or the bottom.

All hail the mighty Pupzilla.

Easter Sunday

We don't really celebrate Easter in the House of Dirt and Rocks but b and I had a lovely day nonetheless. We spent it quietly doing the things we enjoy doing...being together and working on assorted projects.

In the middle of the day I took Pupzilla for our Sunday afternoon walk. This time it was much warmer and the daffodils were mostly gone but there were plenty of other spring colors to see.

We also saw lots of tulips.

And then Pupzilla got very hot...

and had to take a dip.

We saw this guy leaning up against a tree.

And this guy swimming in the creek.

Then we headed back home. Pupzilla was walking very slowly and I was taking pictures and listening to my iPod when b drove up behind us. It seems we were taking so long that he was worried Pupzilla couldn't make it (she is not a hot weather dog and fades as soon as the temperature goes above 65). He drove us over to get some ice coffee (Pupzilla got a cold glass of water) and then we all went home.

Not Really A Walk In the Park

Pupzilla and I were psyched for our Saturday afternoon walk, especially since we missed it last week (due to me being ill). It was a warm but overcast day and Pupzilla was jumping at her leash as we readied to leave the house. Stepping outside I noticed the daffodils were now in bloom and it looked like it would be a lovely afternoon excursion.

However, not more than 20 yards from our home, I noticed two dogs bounding across an empty field with no owners in sight. My heart sank. Now my Pupzilla is a marvelous dog in every sense of the word but she is not dog friendly. She rarely as much as snarls unprovoked but she doesn't take any guff and often normal doggie overtures (you know the butt sniffing kind) are interpreted as guffy provocation. She has been in a number of dog fights (some she starts, some she doesn't--all she finishes) and we now do our best to keep her away from other dogs. The worst is on hikes in the wood. We keep her on leash but not everyone does. I'm always amazed when people let their dogs run up to us and then say "Don't worry s/he's friendly." I have to answer back that Pupzilla isn't and then we get the hard stares.

Today I stopped her, made her sit and told the dogs to get back. I do need to clarify here that these were not bad or scary dogs. Quite the contrary they were young, energetic, friendly and out for a good time. They would be the type of dog I'd gush all over if Pupzilla wasn't there. But she was and she was leashed and they were not. They did not heed my words and came running up, sniffing, inviting play and looking for affection. As soon as the butt sniffing started, Pupzilla growled. As you can imagine things escalated quickly and I was trying to keep her down and them away from her but all to no avail.

My neighbor heard the commotion and came across the street to help. She could only keep one dog off at a time. They seemed to think this was some kind of game. Sure enough the game got ugly and one of them latched onto Pupzilla's ear. I slapped at them with her leash (I do know better than to put my hand anyway near dogs in a fight) and commanded them back. Between the two of use we got them off of Pupzilla and I tried to drag her away. She was flat on the ground at this point and refusing to budge. (Keep in mind she's no lightweight at 60+lbs and both these dogs were bigger than her)

The dogs had collars and my neighbor was trying to see a phone number so she could call the owner. I tried to walk down the street with Pupzilla but the other dog kept coming back to "play" some more. Another neighbor came out and between the two of them they managed to contain the dogs and call the owner. I felt it best to remove Pupzilla from the premises while they waited and we went off on our walk.

Dog fights are ugly. I hate them. I can't imagine why anyone would ever want to see one happen. This one wasn't so bad but there was blood on my shoe and Pupzilla has a gashes on her forehead and next to her ear. Once we were safely away I checked her out to make sure there was no real damage. As much as they upset me, she's always her happy self after a fight. I don't think she knows what the fuss is all about. We took our walk but for most of it I was reliving the fight and feeling bad that (a) I had to contain her so she ended up getting the worst of it and (b) had to smack at two very sweet dogs (I know I didn't hurt them - I was just trying to scare them back).

For the rest of the walk we kept running into other dogs (most on leashes) and I felt like I was on red alert.

Collecting Sniffs

Pupzilla and I just got back from a 2-hr walk through our little city. It must have been a very fruitful walk for the Pupster as she was VERY busy with her sniffing work. I can only imagine that the spring-like weather produced all kinds of fresh samples for her to gather. I think she must have a sophisticated cataloging system to track all the new smells. I wonder about these things as I watch her head turn--"no, no, old, smelled that before, nothing new....wait a minute, let's see what we have here"--and then disregard whatever caught her attention until a really juicy smell comes along.

What she plans to do with all this information, I have no idea. I wonder if she has some overarching research question that drives her or if it is all exploratory work? She occasionally disseminates her own bits of knowledge for other inquiring noses but mostly she seems concerned with data collection.

My day has been less fruitful. Most of it has been spent food shopping, caring for a sick Boy, and walking. I'm nursing a cup of decaf in hopes that some motivation will come along.