My First Walk With A Dog

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0968dfc3.jpg"> <div> <B>Unless otherwise noted, all images and text on this site are my own creations.</B></div> <div> <B>Please do not infringe.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="314960f0.png" border=0 width="150" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Please sign one of our Guest Registers </B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub39.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=3286124372&cpv=1/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub39.bravenet.com/guestbook/show"><U><B>Bravenet Guest Register</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/guest/control.guest?u=thisildorealm&i=2&a=sign" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/guest/control."><U><B>htmlGear Guest Register</B></U></A><B><IMG SRC="314960f0.png" border=0 width="150" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7c264b30.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="179" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=123 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0978dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#336633" FACE="Arial" ><B>Thisildo Realm</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thisildo Realm"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>My First Walk With A Dog</B>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Billies Home!"><U>Billie's Home!</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gizmos Adventure Weekend"><U>Gizmo's Adventure Weekend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Midnight Screams"><U>Midnight Screams</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Temper, Temper"><U>Temper, Temper</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December Storm"><U>December Storm</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id251.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The SnowGal"><U>The SnowGal</U></A></div> <bR> <div> back to <B> </B><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Village Library"><U><B>The Village Library</B></U></A><B>      </B><A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map"><U><B>Site Map</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=357 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0978dfc3.jpg"> <div> <B>My First Walk With A Dog</B></div> <div> This tail happened on 27 November 1999.</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1067 WIDTH="646"><div> <IMG SRC="1cdaef50.jpg" border=0 width="430" height="245" ALT="Buffy in regal repose" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      It was nearly three in the afternoon, I was on the porch and heard the leaves rustling in the woods. When I went to look, I saw a dog that could have almost (enough to get my heart racing) been my missing Billie. I called her name, but the dog did not respond. Billie doesn't always respond - especially if she's out of the yard!</div> <bR> <div>      Buffy and her daughter, Billie had pulled off The Great Escape on 22 November, the Monday before Thanksgiving. Buffy returned home Thanksgiving Morning and hadn't been outside for longer than a potty break since she came home, two days ago. Billie was still on her Walkabout. </div> <div> The dog just kept sniffing at the ground.</div> <bR> <div>      I started to go into the woods after the dog and realized I didn't have a leash with me, so I ran back to the house to get the leash. When I opened the screen door - zip, squiggle and Corky (a purrbie) dashes past me, running a wide berth around the porch to get to the dirt before I can get her! </div> <bR> <div>      Oh No! Not now Corks! Grab Corky from her dinner of grass, deposit her inside the door, and grab the leash. As I'm turning to head out the door, I see Buffy is going all unnecessary in the living room - spinning in circles and jumping in the air! NEVER seen her do that before so I grab her leash, clip her to it, sling Billie's leash over my shoulder, and I have to pull Buffy back from the door so I can open it! Out we go - pulling the door tight behind me (can't trust The Corkster, she can open doors if they're not shut tight) - across the Courtyard. Buffy immediately pulls to where I saw the dog. Hmm... okay, why not - it's early yet, plenty of daylight left... </div> <bR> <div>      Off we go, on an adventure. We get to the very spot I saw the other dog and Buffy just sits down. Hmm... okay girl, now what? She looks up at me, then scratches her belly. Buffy? We just gonna sit here all day? Oops, we're off and running again. We cut across my neighbor's back yard and Buffy heads for the stream (of course) but first she has to follow the "trail" which just happens to lead right under a small brass and glass end table in the back yard! We get past that hurdle, without breaking the glass table top and head off to ford the stream, at which Buffy must stop for a drink, of course! Mind you, she's standing in the ice cold water without a flinch or shiver but let me try to get her in a tub of warm water for a bath and you'd think I was leading her to the guillotine with her body wrapped in ice packs! </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 573 WIDTH="646"><div>      We get across the stream and go about six paces when she wants to cut back across the stream. Oh, sure, makes sense to me! :o) Before she gets half way across the stream, she changes her mind and turns back. Next thing I know, she's literally pulling me up the other side of the ravine... I give a couple short jerks on the leash but she doesn't quit pulling so I stop dead in my tracks. That gets her attention and we begin to walk easy up the hill, all the while her nose is close to the ground sniffing at everything. The walk is pretty easy as it appears to be an old abandoned fire trail and I'm gawking around at the woods and calling Billie (it's automatic every time I'm outside anymore) and that's when I make the mistake. </div> <bR> <div>      I relaxed my tension on Buffy's leash. All of a sudden her head jerks up and she takes off in a dead run up the hill! She caught me so completely off guard I didn't even have a chance to yell out a "NO!". I was jerked off my feet and pulled up the hill, I must have cleared four feet of ground before I slammed into the forest floor with the leash wrapped around my right wrist. Buffy's full head of steam continues to drag me bodily another seven or eight feet through the forest duff, before I... well, she, finally comes to a stop. I've ducked my head and wrapped my free arm around the top of my head to protect my glasses and that action created a bulldozer effect between my head, arm, and the forest duff. </div> <bR> <div>      I slowly lift my head (don't know yet if any part of me has been damaged, so I'm moving slow!) look at Buffy through the foot high pile of leaves, pine needles and assorted nuts gathered in front of my face. She's now sitting prettily and looking back at me for all the world like I was just about the dumbest thing she'd ever seen on two legs! </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 764 WIDTH="646"><div>      It's not like I'm a young person who can take this kind of abuse, I am, after all, on the higher side of 50! I don't need to be dragged through the woods! As I pull myself off the ground, I begin "the lecture"... Buff, we need to have a talk. This just isn't going to work this way! I'll go wherever you want (would eat those words later), just don't PULL me there! Okay? Huh? Think we can do this real gentle like? Okay! Let's do it reeeaaal eeeasy. </div> <bR> <div>      So... off we go again. Mind you, by now I've completely lost track of where we were and when I looked around through the woods, I could see no houses at all! In the summer that's pretty much expected, but when the leaves are gone, you can see a lot of other houses in the neighborhood. But not now. I see no houses, no sheds, no nothing! Just lots and lots of trees. I have no watch, so I've no clue how much time has gone by.</div> <bR> <div>      It seems pretty obvious, even to a novice with canines like me, that Buffy is not hot on the trail of our missing fur kid, Billie. Buff? She turns and looks at me. Ya think we should turn back now? Maybe try to find our way home? </div> <bR> <div>      Buffy looks at me and heads on up the hill, the same way we were going. Guess not, then again... she just might be following Billie's scent. Hey! It could happen! (g) Okay, were probably past that magical point of no return anyway and there MUST be a road around here somewhere. So we keep walking. </div> <bR> <div>      Buffy keeps sniff, sniff, sniffing. Oh, oh, what's this? Oh! Oh! Molly pee! Oh, yes! Molly peed here! I know her! Sniff, sniff, sniffing, achoo! Wow, that's <I>nasty!</I>  Sniff, sniff, sniffing, oh come and smell this mom, it's a snake! C'mon mom, smell this! Sniff, sniff, sniffing. Suddenly her head pops up and she looks back at me. Well? C'mon mom, we don't have all day for this! </div> <bR> <div>      Off we go again... Boy, these woods are amazing! All the narrow trails that jigsaw through the woods. A neighbor told me once that he'd been in the woods and there are miles of dog trails winding all through the woods! He was righter than I thought! Of course following the trials provides no guarantee that you won't get faces full of spider webs, or shredded by the branches and vines that are just at MY face level. Down there, close to the ground at dog face level, it's clear!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1601 WIDTH="646"><div>      Oh look Buffy! A fence! Cool! Fence has to lead to the front of the property and to a road, right? Right! Great, well just follow the fence. I'm jerked to a stop. Whoops! What now, Buff? Oh, okay, potty call. Great! Was wondering if you were ever gonna do THAT! She's been home from Her four day Walkabout since Thursday and I haven't seen her do a dump yet! Was getting a tad concerned. I can't believe I'm concerned about whether my dog craps or not!</div> <bR> <div>      Many footsteps later, and two more potty breaks - must have been saving it up - and still climbing out of the ravine and there's still no sign of the front of the property coming up. Still no houses. Still no road. Still got a fence though! :D </div> <bR> <div>      Oh, wait, that's an engine. Lets go girl! We come over a rise and spot a house! Buffy heads for what appears to be a tilled garden. Whoops, not a chance girl! See a man in the yard through the trees. Hello! Don't want him thinking I'm trying to sneak up on his property (folks are pretty tense about their property lines around here). Man tells us the road is at the end of his drive and it's okay for us to cut through his yard. Great! But where are we? I've never seen but two or three back yards in the neighborhood and this isn't one of them! </div> <bR> <div>      We head out of the yard and I discover that we are at the other end of the neighborhood! Almost a mile from home! Of course, if we went back through the woods, we could go right through this property and be in our own back yard in no time - heck, I can SEE our back door from here! Yeah... but... do we really want to be dragged through the woods again? Think not. Besides, this gives us an opportunity to talk with the folks and see if anyone's seen Billie. </div> <bR> <div>      Okay, that decision made, we head home with our first stop at the property that backs up to ours. Girl, says the man, what are you doin' way over here? </div> <bR> <div>     This is what happened when I gave Buffy her lead! Had no clue where she was taking me - was really hoping she would lead me to Billie. Not! He had seen Billie at the beginning of the week and she was heading back toward home. Must have got sidetracked - seems to be real easy for dogs to get sidetracked, pick up a whiff of something and whoosh! off to check it out! (Not too unlike surfing the net!) </div> <bR> <div>      So we begin the long trek back home. Uh Oh, dogs! Barking dogs! Barking at US dogs! Okay, we can do this without getting destroyed. I pull up on the leash and bring Buffy close to me. Okay, Buffers, be cool. Just take it easy, come on sweetie, just keep walking. Out of a yard comes this beagle size dog (no clue what breed) and the next thing I know Buffy and the dog are licking each other! Okay, this one of your buddies Buffy? Tails wagging, tongues lapping. Oh joy! A ton of tension slips off mom while she enjoys watching Buffy interact with her buddy. </div> <bR> <div>      Say g'bye Buff, we got to go. Ask several people about Billie. No results. The road dips down and then goes back up again, but it's a steep incline both ways. Now, mom has not been outside walking - except to the mailbox and back - for oh... about nine years, and after being dragged through the woods, climbing down one side of the ravine and up the other side, she's pretty wore out. Legs are beginning to quiver, breathing is fast, heart is slamming away in her chest! Whew! Terribly out of shape! At the top of the last hill, I collapse in a heap on a lawn, panting like (yep) a dog! Still got better than a half mile to go! </div> <bR> <div>      Some minutes later, heart beat has resumed normal speed, breathing is regular, legs? Well, we're not too sure 'bout the legs, but how many choices do we have? So off we go. Buffy, of course, is having the time of her life showing mom all her trails and buddies! Uh Oh, more barking at US dogs! Nutz! What's wrong with people? Choke up on Buffy's leash and do the "it's okay, easy now, we can do this" speech. Buffy is being cool, but extremely watchful! </div> <bR> <div>      These dogs however, are rude little beggars and don't want to give it up and begin to nip at Buffy's hind legs. Buffy begins growling. Whoa! Never heard Buff growl before! While all this is going on, there's a woman in a car who was calling the dogs when we were about a house away from them. The dogs ignored her so she ignored them. Another couple was standing on their porch watching the whole thing. I turned on the dogs (wisdom does not always come with age -sometimes you just get age!) and stamped my foot QUIT, GO HOME and the wannabe bullies jumped back but did not give up the pursuit. I yelled again. Again.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 858 WIDTH="646"><div>      That's it, patience is shot (don't have much to begin with!). Reached down and scooped up a fistful of gravel and began lobbing stones at the dogs feet. That slows them down a bit, but not much. Mind you, all this has been going on past three houses spaced pretty far (bout 100 yards) apart and the folks witnessing this scene are not doing anything. Oops - The guy on one porch yelled that I'd better stop throwing rocks at the dogs! The dogs are attacking me and mine and I'm supposed to stop?! Didn't do what I wanted to do -throw a rock at HIM! </div> <bR> <div>      A car pulls up and the guy driving just happens to be the mail carrier, he hands me a can of mace and tells me to use it. It was amazing! I held the can up so the dogs could see it and before I even had a chance to hit the button, all five dogs turned tail and ran! All right! Gotta get me some of that! </div> <bR> <div>      For the remainder of the walk, we got in a lot of practice with walking and by the time we reached our driveway, Buffy was no longer dragging me up the road and whenever I stopped, she circled around me and sat at my side! Don't figure this to be a permanent thing with her, she's probably just tired from dragging me through the woods and takes her breaks when she can get them! </div> <div> We got home at 4:30 p.m., and in spite of being jerked through the air like a cartoon character, dragged across several feet of forest floor several times, getting harassed by rude dogs and exhausted to the point of near collapse, I gotta admit, that it was the most enjoyable time I've had in a long time.</div> <bR> <div>      Got to commune with nature, talk with my new best buddy, visit with one really cool neighbor - he's got goats that wear cow bells! I can hear the bells inside my home. And got some much needed exercise for both of us. That may have been just what Buffy needed to get those bowels moving - she's been laying around the house for nearly three days, only getting outside long enough to make a quick potty call. Both Buffy and I drank a quart of water when we got home! Gotta remember to bring some with us next time! </div> <bR> <div>      Well, that was the very first time in my life I've ever been on a walk with a dog and I've got to confess - I so thoroughly enjoyed the trek through the woods, I can hardly wait for tomorrow so we can do it again! ;D<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Visit Buffy's Page at</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=187377&j=t" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=18"><U> <img src="HTMLobj-3208/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="120" height="60">  </U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>