Mollie went to the vet on Tuesday. She has gained a little weight and had to bump up to the blue box of heartworm pills. She and Gracie have always shared the purple box for skinny minnies under 12 pounds. Mollie now weighs 12.5 pounds. Her vet wasn't concerned with her weight, but I have noticed that Mollie and I have both added a little weight over the winter months. Gracie's weight has slipped to a very fragile 8.2 pounds, and I think Mollie is putting on some sympathy pounds. Mollie and I talked about how shameful it is that we haven't been watching our girlish figure and vowed to exercise more. Sadly, the weather hasn't cooperated. We went for a nice brisk walk on Tuesday and then Wednesday and Thursday were wet and cold. Today was a nice day for a walk, so we went right after work, since everyone in our house was going different directions and didn't expect dinner.
I have read the Cesar Milan books and watched his videos. I know how these walks are supposed to work. I keep my girl on a short leash and we are about the business of walking. We don't sniff. We don't do our business, unless it is 2. I figure that kind of business is serious. The other kind of business is about letting every dog in the Preston Lakes subdivision know that Mollie Fortenberry was here. Kind of like writing your name on the bathroom wall. And, let me tell you, Mollie is the kind of girl that would write her name on every bathroom wall, if I would let her.
Mollie is the sweetest dog ever. I really didn't realize how grouchy Gracie was until we brought Mollie into our lives. She loves everybody and loves every situation (except swimming). After using her best manners, I did reward her when some moms asked if their toddlers could pet her. She was super sweet and so were they. I was feeling quite proud of myself as the master of the beautiful dog that I had on the leash.
Now, this brings me to my complaint. We have a duck pond in our neighborhood. I love the duck pond. My kids have enjoyed it and so have both my dogs. Plus, I have enjoyed it as an exercise tool. However, I often avoid it, because it seems more trouble than it is worth. Once, I was walking my Gracie around the duck pond when I was warned by an older gentlemen to be careful. I didn't quite catch his drift until I realized that I was approaching an area where his unleashed dog was and she attacked my unsuspecting Gracie. There are no ifs ands or buts about it that is completely wrong. There are leash laws and your dog should be on a leash. What if my Gracie had been a small child instead?
Now, my next complaint is me being cranky. What makes me uncomfortable is that we usually meet dogs that are on leashes, but they are big and unfriendly. So, their masters have to use all of their strength to hold their dog back while me and my happy dogs pass through. It is uncomfortable for everyone and if we are making laps around the duck pond then you have to meet them several times and that makes it even more uncomfortable. Tonight, we met two dogs, and neither were friendly towards other dogs. One was a smaller Benji looking dog. I noticed that the owners moved off to the side and surrounded the dog. This dog made all kinds of growly noises while we passed. Just seconds later, we met a lady with a beautiful 3-legged Husky that would have given anything to have eaten Mollie for supper. I know that both of these families had the right to enjoy the duck pond, but I just want to enjoy my nice little pond without having to dodge angry dogs.
I guess, I feel like there are areas in our neighborhood where they would be less likely to encounter other dogs. However, maybe I need to be the one that is more tolerant. Maybe, the duck pond is just an easier area for them to get their unfriendly dogs out of the way and let people pass by. I guess I just need to be less cranky. The moral of my rant is that I should learn to be more like Mollie and less like the 3-legged Husky.
P.S. I am not sure how much I am going to be able to post. My computer is not a happy camper. I think it needs professional help, but Fred is trying to fix it instead. Just in case you were wondering, he doesn't know what he is doing.
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