April Fool’s Day, 2015
Scout was being a dick again–er, I mean a normal puppy.
She was jumping onto my lap (‘into’ is not accurate, since she no longer fits), licking my face, biting my ears, and generally making the writing of today’s Nudge impossible.
There was no choice but to bundle up against the chilly morning and go on our second puppy walk in less than an hour.
“Okay, young lady,” I said as she squirmed with excitement, trying to sit still for me to hook the leash onto her collar. “You need to work off some energy so I can get shit done. We’ll take a longer walk this time.”
And off she went, dragging me behind her. Scout may be only four months old (today!) but she is strong.
I thought again about the San Diego Humane Society’s puppy training class that starts in a couple of weeks.
Can’t. Wait.
We have a fifteen-foot lead so Scout can get a little bit of actual running in while I trudge along at my old-lady pace.
She ran from one side of the narrow road to the other and back again, smelling and tasting everything she saw, then stopped and waited for me before bounding off again.
I fed out the lead as she raced ahead of me, and looped it back up, lariat-like, as I drew closer when she stopped to sniff/pee/poop.
If she stayed too long in one spot, I urged her on, talking to her as we went.
“Come on, let’s go. No. Nooo. Good girl. Uh-uh! Stop! What is in your mouth? Drop it! Good girl. Wait! NO! DO NOT EAT THAT ROCK/DEAD MOUSE/HORSE SHIT! Come ON, let’s GO!”
And so it went.
Until Scout refused to budge. Something smelled so insanely good or fascinating that she ignored my insistent tugs.
I was about to pull hard on the lead and drag her away from the small bush when I saw my own contradiction.
What was my hurry? Who was this walk for, anyway? Why wasn’t I enjoying the sights and smells as much as Scout was?
I inhaled deeply. Sweet-smoky sage perfume rewarded me.
The sun warmed my back.
I wondered about a feathery plant that looked like dill.
Could I cook with that? I need to learn about foraging!
This time, it was Scout who tugged on the line.
“Come ON,” she seemed to say, “let’s GO!”
p.s. I still have two beta slots available if you could use some personal tugs to get that shit you’re stuck on done. Use the discount code ACBETA to get half off.
Happy four-month birthday, Scout!!
p.p.s. Today is also The Complete Flake’s FIFTH birthday — can’t believe it!
