My Take
DiVoran Lites
I’m quite the home-body. I love having a free day when I can do all the things around here I want to do and need to do, no pressure. But sometimes I feel I should get out more, be more friendly.
When I saw the, “Doggy Walk,” sign in front of the SPCA I thought maybe I would check it out. One of the reasons I don’t go out more is because I don’t do the things I really like when I do go out. But animals, yep. Love them. I get to know all the dogs on the trail because fortunately people who walk dogs usually like to have their dogs admired.
One person, Julia, whom I have met is just as lovely as she can be, but a bit of a maverick. She walks her dogs off leash because they’re very small, somewhat aged, and non-aggressive. I used to walk my dogs off leash too. They weren’t aggressive, but they were big and the trail wasn’t the trail it was a dirt path and we never met anybody on it. Julia’s dogs love being out of doors and never cause any trouble except for the giant puppy, Leo, who is her granddaughters’ dog. At first he barked so much that he made trail-conversation impossible. Now with Julia’s gentleness he has become calm, so that I now love it when I see him running to greet me.
I decided to ask Julia if she would go to the dog walk with me and take a dog.
It was a new thought and I watched her process it. “I can’t take Leo,” she said. “I don’t’ usually have him on Saturdays anyway. Tucson might not like it…” Then she brightened. “Oh, I know, I’ll take Miracle.” She then beamed with excitement. I’ll put a dress on her and everyone will pay attention to her. She loves attention, and she does have clothes, you know.”
The walk was a couple of weeks away, but I started looking forward to seeing Miracle in her little dress. The next time we met, Julia was walking with Rene and her beautiful border collie, Joe. I must have been reading, “All Creatures Great and Small,” when I met Joe, because I was very taken with him and even wrote a poem about him. We invited them to go too, but when the day came they couldn’t. Rene usually visits her 94 year old uncle in a nursing home on Saturdays.
The big day dawned cool with a storm threatening, but we went anyway. Tucson got to go too. As we got out of the car, Julia mentioned that Rene told her I had written a poem about Joe. She said Miracle and Tucson were jealous, so I guess I’ll be putting on my poets smock and see what I can come up with.
I handled Miracle’s leash because Julia thought I’d like the reflected glory and I did. The black and white Chihuahua mix wore a combination flowered print and halter. Very stylish. She and Tucson wove in and out and Julia and I raised the leashes so the other could walk under or laid them on the ground so we could step over them. We walked with a whole string of other people and their dogs. The SPCA volunteers were kind and happy. The donations went into the side pockets on special vests worn by a couple of big, gentle dogs. It reminded me of the time we went to a Greek restaurant where the tips for the belly dancers went into a certain place around their waists… but never mind about that.
Anyhow, I loved the whole outing, but it was pretty short, so we decided we’d go to the next town and see the wonderful new, Chain of Lakes, trail. I’d been there once. The photo you see on my blogs was taken there by my friend, Melody Hendrix.
Julia wanted to start walking that trail right away, but I was slowing down. “We’ll do Chain of Lakes soon, “she said.
Tags: Doggy Walk Fundraiser, Humor
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