last night
We dive into the bedtime routine: I feed the cats while Jason gets Shorty harnessed for his walk. I pull a hat over my head, wrap my enormous scarf around my neck, fight the usual fight against my coat zipper, grab a flashlight. I hear Shorty drinking and his collar jangling. I insert my foot into Sunny’s line of vision: a preemptive strike to keep her from eating Abby’s food. I hear Shorty shaking himself off; Abby’s cue to stop eating and guard herself from his presence, a task she performs so well that Shorty is now afraid of her.
Jason and Shorty emerge. I take the leash as Jason puts on his own shoes and coat. I open the deck door and prepare for Shorty to propel himself off the deck to chase the inevitable rabbit. Tonight the yard is empty, dark clouds visible in the city skyline.
Normally Jason walks Shorty and I hold the flashlight and have poop duty. But tonight I walk him; he is springy in his step, sproinging along the road hurriedly. As we round the block, the wind kicks in. It is, as Minnesotans say ironically, a bit brisk. Shorty starts to run. He loves running and will sometimes run so fast in the yard he’ll trip over himself and roll like a ball. He looks back, seeing if we’re keeping up. I start running with him, smiling at his little legs churning blurrily. He sprints faster, and now we are laughing. My crazy-sounding giggles echo loudly in the darkness, and the sight of Shorty’s little butt running full-tilt to the stoplight makes me laugh even louder. I am sprinting to keep up with him as he pulls me along, my little knee-high sled dog. “Mush!” I cry hysterically, as Shorty puts on another burst of speed, his ears flapping in the breeze. We come to a stop at the end of the block. Shorty’s tongue is wagging and our cheeks are flushed with the cold. We are out of breath but still smiling like fools.
“Good walk, buddy,” we tell him, as he prances up our driveway.
So far, it’s been my favorite.
This is lovely, and so well-written, so evocative. Shorty is lucky to have you and you are lucky to have him.
Comment by Jess — November 20, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
Awesome!
Comment by Shelly — November 20, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
You turned an every day task (mundane for most of us who walk dogs) into a work of art. I have never been so interested in someone walking their dog.
So why don’t you have a book written?
Comment by Grimmie — November 20, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
I was trying to click through from Google reader (opening this post in a new tab). But, it directs me random places! Right now I have a tab open from Google search “cheap tickets” and before it sent me to a smoking cessation center website and a search for “credit score”!
Is it just me?
Comment by Alison — November 20, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Are you at the point where you forget what life was like Before Shorty yet?
Comment by Shelly — November 20, 2008 @ 1:37 pm
Alison,
I’m not sure why that’s happening. I can click through from Google Reader and it takes me directly here just fine. I know a bunch of blogs using WordPress (including this one) had this same trouble about 4 months ago, so maybe it’s happening again. I’ll look into it.
Comment by Shauna — November 20, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
You are really making me want a dog.
Comment by My Buddy Mimi — November 20, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
like an exuberant two year old. I’m breathless just reading about your jog.
glad to hear you so happy
Comment by moo — November 20, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
as awesome as this sounds, the thought of walking a dog at night in the bitter cold still seems… brrrr
Comment by Alice — November 20, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
I love walking dogs at night, when I’m visiting my sister, but rarely walk if I *don’t* have a dog to walk. It’s such a relaxing, productive, energizing thing to do.
Comment by Ellie — November 20, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
I am not a dog person but this totally makes me want a dog.
Comment by Saly — November 20, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
Awww!
Comment by Nowheymama — November 21, 2008 @ 7:25 am
That sounds like such fun! It was a bit brisk here during the night and on into the morning. Cold? I love. Cold and windy? Not so much.
Comment by Julie — November 21, 2008 @ 11:55 am