I Almost Walked the Dog Today

I have been relieved to learn that I should only isotonically work each of the muscle groups twice a week.  That means weight lifting.  It also points to the wisdom of having a varied exercise routine for aerobic goals.  That way the muscles have time to respond in a healthy way to the stress that is supposed to make them stronger.  So, today, I almost walked the dog.

The normal routine is for the kids and I to go to the gym 4 weekday mornings.  Wednesday is my day-off of that routine, a day to begin with a more relaxing pace.  Part of that is sometimes a leisurely walk with my dog.  She is well trained to walk without pulling on the leash, although the occasional biker is a quite a temptation.  Passing other dogs requires alertness on my part, but she is gradually learning that I will be firm every time she breaks ranks.

Today was a day, however, where the schedule kept adjusting the walk right down to the bottom of the list.  So I took her to D & B instead.  She likes that store.  It is a little scary because there are so many corners, birds squeaking in cages, and clothes hanging around on racks pretending to be people, but, on the whole, it is wonderfully fragrant and the cashier hands out tasty treats.

It was extra crowded today because of a sale going on and one of the shoppers had apparently either been gone too long or overestimated his dog’s desire to wait for him.  This dog surprised us both when it quietly nosed Kiwi from behind.  It was a cute and soft looking, reminiscent of a border collie, about half Kiwi’s size.  Kiwi can be nervous, so I was pleased when she didn’t over react.  She held her heel and didn’t growl, only trembled a little and did some of her own sniffing.  After a few seconds of this, we proceeded into the store…  and so did the other dog.

Maybe the store personnel thought the dog came in with me.  Kiwi began to get more uncomfortable with the ongoing attention, so I tried to discourage the pup in a friendly way.  It left, only to return around another corner.  The third time it showed up, Kiwi was barking a warning.  I managed to get the attention of a sales person about 30 feet and an aisle away.  “Excuse me.  Sir?  I think you have a stray dog in here.”  He was very good about getting it immediately, but my adrenaline was going a bit by this time.

That excitement over, we finished our shopping and checked out.  No more dogs in the parking lot.  I’m told that banks like patrons to take their dogs in, that it helps keep the bad guys away, but that probably doesn’t count the banks in grocery stores, so she stayed in the car for that leg of the trip.   She seemed to enjoy her almost walk, hang-out-with-my-human adventure of the day, but I feel she was shortchanged.

I may have to get her more accustomed to trotting along as I roller-blade.   That way she can get more exercise in a shorter time?  I tried that a couple of times, before she was so well trained and I took quite a spill on asphalt when she became averse to a certain passerby.  Once I landed in mud around the ponds due to a loose puppy.  No bruises or broken bones, though.   Still, we may do a few test runs in a non-populated, circular area with lots of grass available for landing.