Carey-ing around the neighborhood

Yesterday, I decided to work on my fitness and walk the neighborhood. I'd previously decided to take one of my dogs, who all lead sedentary lifestyles. The most robust (wild, crazy, hyper, etc..) of the pack is our youngest, Carey, a 90 lb+ black lab/German shepherd mix. As we left, my dad, an avid Dog Whisperer viewer, advised me to make sure Carey did not lead me but walked alongside me. Complying, I headed out.

Before I go further, let's explore our last neighborhood excursion, which was about a year ago. First, we came across a snake and she was oblivious as she almost stepped on it. Also, Carey was about ten pounds lighter and more of a puppy. I'd forgotten that extra poundage would make the trip a little more exhausting for her. Even still, I've never been a big fan of jogging/walking the neighborhood because of the risk of seeing unwanted former schoolmates and meeting bestial dogs that were interested in smelling the rumps of my dogs, among other things. Moreover, I enjoy a little thing called the sidewalk. I despise walking in the streets because people have parked their car where the driveway and sidewalk intersect. You paid for a sidewalk, yet you're blocking it?! I feel highly awkward when I'm walking by a house with an inhabitant hacking out a lung while puffing away on a cigarette in their open garage. At least they smoke outside. Finally, I'm not sure the proper pedestrian ettiquette, but how do you respond with someone walking toward you? Who is the first to step out of the way for the other person to cross? There's obviously not enough room for the both of you. But since I'm determined, stubborn, and usually have a large dog ambling along with me, I wait for the other person to sidestep. With all that said, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with Carey.

So we set out, Carey sniffing wildly at her surroundings. She was all over the place; I felt bad for yanking her choke chain too vigorously to make her follow my demands (I quickly got over that feeling, though). We em-barked on our journey and she knew who was boss (me). I wanted us to actually exert ourselves, so I made sure we were going at a vigorous pace.

The entire walk is approximately 3mi. By mile 0.25, her heavy panting indicated she was running on empty. I knew she was gone when I was the one leading -- no, I was pulling her. I talked with her. I told her that I'm the human, and she's the wild dog who is to stereotypically lead me faster than I can walk. She responded by panting out doggy saliva. By mile 2.75, I kept urging her along like a coach, "Come on, Carey, we're almost there!" I employed my handy positive regard counseling skills (at least I'm learning something useful for all that money) which empowered her to cross the finish line-- our front door.

In hindsight, I'm sorry to say that I was wrong about Carey. She can't go the entire distance. She is poorly out of shape for a dog who is less than two years old. When I go for my excursion today, I'm going to let her rest but I think I'll take Mariah, who is no less out of shape, but still pretty agile. And I also think I'm going to go on a walking trail, rather than a neighborhood. It's less awkward that way, and the sidewalk is large enough for two people to pass by each without conflict. And it's probably illegal to park a car across the path!