Rantings and Ravings

By Sun Advocate

We have a new dog at our house. She is three months old. Both my husband and I are both dog people and our house had felt pretty empty after our old dog got sick and died. We had several offers for dogs and puppies. We both knew what we had in mind and waited until spring and the right puppy came along.
Both of us lead busy lives and don’t always get the exercise we need. A dog is a great motivator to get out and walk. We chose a big dog-she is a lab Mastiff mix. At three months she is already 40 lbs. A walk around the block won’t do.
We trudge up Wood Hill every day. I have to make myself get started almost every day. Once I get to the top of the hill I am motivated to keep going. We walk two to three miles a day. Whether I want to or not, it is my obligation as a dog owner to exercise and care for my dog.
So I don’t get why some people own dogs they really don’t want to take time for. There are people in our end of town who never seem to do any thing with their dogs. I see the dogs in runs and small fenced areas that I never see out. Now I certainly don’t hang around those houses checking up on the dogs, but I do go by those homes at various times of the day and on many days of the week and there are the dogs.
There are those who also believe that the whole neighborhood loves their dog. Just let it out of the house and let it roam for an hour or so. It will come home when it gets hungry. Owners of little dogs seem more likely to do this, but I am aware of at least one owner of a big dog who does it occasionally.
One behavior that I see that humors me a lot is using a car to take a dog for a walk. Now some people may not be physically able to take their dog out, but may want to exercise them. And at least the dogs are getting out. But I see some very healthy people with their dogs walking behind their cars or trucks while they are driving. I know some of these people so I know that walking with their dogs would not hurt them.
We like to walk our dog off the leash sometimes. We can do that up on Wood Hill. I did make the mistake once with our old dog of letting her get to far ahead of me. When I crested the hill she was harassing a lady walking her own dog on a leash. I was very embarrassed. I now keep my dog closer and always put her on a leash when there are others around.
We have a lot of very responsible dog owners. I always enjoy running into others on my walks. Hopefully I’ll see a few more of you after you read this.
I just ask one thing. Look into those dog faces and give your dogs a bit of your time. That is why you have them isn’t it?