When: Monday–Late Afternoon- 4/2/2018
Weather: High 40’s, I had my ears covered, it was cloudy
Observations/Thought
I literally passed or was passed by NO ONE on today’s walk. It was understandable. The temperatures were in the 40’s. It certainly was not inviting. I was all bundled up–this included gloves. Any interactions I had involved canines…
- The early part of the path winds behind a few houses. The first house has no dogs. The second house has a couple of collies whose major barking days are over. The third house has the dogs that really love me. They either accept the tag from the previous house [tag team barking] or they decide independently to bark kisses in my general direction. The other dogs will set back and bark as they slowly make their way to the fence. The dogs in the 3rd house charge me. I believe there have been up to 4 dogs in this house that “love me”. As the dogs tried to make me sweat some fear pheromones, the owner tried to yell the dogs back from the love they desired to show me. Once I was almost past their fence, they reluctantly agreed.
- The path that goes along the train tracks has many fences facing it. And, coincidentally, dogs exist on the other side of these fences. Today, one of the dog owners was doing yard work. He had the gate open with his leashed dog guarding it. The dog, (let’s call him Rusty) seemed much more interested in barking long and loud enough to make me want to climb a tree. Rusty would then go grab his owner and have him come out with a gun a pop me one. In case Rusty got too aggressive (The leash was pretty long.), I did grab a stick. After having been barked at by the little yappers and the big dogs who growl, I don’t get scared easily. I may be surprised occasionally, but I try not to reward them and show any fear.
- The little pond that lies next to the path had a dog wandering its perimeter today. When I first saw him, he looked like he could be a coyote. When I got closer, I saw his coloring was black/brown, and he was a heavier build than most coyotes. He didn’t seem too interested in me. He glanced at me a couple times. He did not utter a word or a bark or show any teeth. He was exploring. I am not sure what a dog thinks about when he explores. I suppose it involved food or a bone he buried last fall.
Walking Down Life's Road With Andy 