24
JAN
Today was a sultry summer-like day with sunshine and temps in the 70s. The thing is, it’s the middle of January. What’s going on! I know it’s Texas, but this is unseasonably awesome! After sitting in the house most of the day, doing mundane chores, washing clothes, cleaning the kitchen, etc., I was feeling guilty that I hadn’t even poked my head outside, except to take out the garbage cans.
For the past couple years, my daily routine used to include walking the dog for about an hour. Rain or shine, we were out there. But, ever since we got the puppy, life has been too hectic. Poor old Prince looks at me with longing every afternoon. Whenever I put on my tennis shoes, he whimpers with anticipation, but little Buck is a nut case, and there’s no way I can take them both for a walk. Prince and I have both put on a few pounds since the little guy has come to live with us.
Did I say little guy? The nine month old pup is now bigger and taller than his older counterpart, and that’s pretty big. By 4 pm, the sunshine was beckoning me, and I couldn’t stand it any more. I decided to take the pup out for his first ever walk on a leash. The tricky part was sneaking out the backyard gate while Prince was napping in the house.
Buck enjoyed the leash. He enjoyed chewing on the leash, grabbing at it, and trying to pull it out of my hand. He had never been in the front yard before, so every bush and shrub was enticing. Everything was new and exciting. I decided that we would only practice walking past a few houses on the block. We were doing great until all the neighborhood dogs decided to greet us from their backyard fences. Buck jumped a mile, returning his most ferocious bark.
Poor old Prince heard his little protege barking from inside the house. Now, he was inside barking like crazy, and Buck was outside barking his brains out. That was the end of “out with the new dog and in with the old dog.”
