Puppy Magic

This was a real dog day for me. I am not complaining. It was all good.

I had physical therapy today, then came home to drag the hog dogs around for a few miles. The weather was good, at least when it was not storming, so I put off a billion chores and errands again to walk. It will soon be way too cold for me to step a foot out that door for several months. I will go from house to garage to car and will do that as little as possible.

We walked about two miles. On the way back, I saw my disabled neighbor driving by. She waved and I hurried my dogs. I knew she would take her Cairn Terrier out, and the dogs love to visit. We got there just in time.

The Cairn, Gaily, doesn't get to walk as much as my girls do because her mom just can't. Sometimes she gets around the block, sometimes she doesn't even try. I have offered several times to take Gaily along with my girls, but her mom was afraid I couldn't handle 3 dogs. Gaily is very social and just worships my beagles. She is like a little girl who admires her older teenage sisters. I offered today to take Gaily along for a while, and finally her mom agreed.

I found myself with three very happy dogs. Luckily, mine had already walked a few miles and were content to behave. Gaily was so excited that she made me laugh. We walked near my condo and ran into the other beagle lady, who walks her dog with an e-collar. That means no leash.

Baby, my younger beagle, howls when she sees someone she knows. She really, really likes the beagle lady. So does Molly. So does Gaily. I had 80 lbs of happy dogs straining at 3 leashes to get to the beagle lady. We made it, and I didn't get braided in the process. Beagle lady took one of my beagles, and that made it easier for me.

We went to the pond and let Gaily have a dump on the grass. Her mom makes her use the mulch right outside her door - Gaily is not allowed to potty on grass. Gaily loves me even more now. Baby dumped at exactly the same time. I bagged it all and stuck it in my sweatshirt pocket (yuck). Gaily was summarily returned home after a decent walk. She was smiling and telling her mom all about her Big Walkwith the Big Girls. Everyone went home happy.

Later, the beagle lady came to my door with her beagle. Her dog thinks I am the Dessicated Liver Lady. I had to toss chunks to all three dogs - they love that crap. That dog will come to my door and just glow with the thought of that liver. When the door opens, she makes a beeline to my pantry door and scratches at it. Silly girl.

Later on in the evening, I was catching up on some emails when Baby started to pace and whine. I figured Gaily was outside again, so I went on the front porch to see. Baby had it half right. There was a lady coming down the street being walked by a 12-week-old beagle puppy.

I love dogs, no question about it. But there is something special and magical about puppies. I can be in the crappiest mood and if I can stick my face into a puppy's neck, I am instantly cured. It's maybe a wee bit rude to grab a puppy off the street and hug it if you haven't met the owner yet, but I didn't care. The owner understood. I think she told me her name. I know the puppy is Bella. She is so sweet, and has a lot more black on her face than I usually see on a beagle. No brown. I hope she walks by often.

To think I almost didn't move to a condo. There are now 8 beagles living in two blocks. It's not unusual to go for a walk and find ourselves on someone's driveway with half a dozen dogs, leashes getting tangled, butts getting sniffed, and owners chatting about whatever.

At my old house? The one I still haven't sold? I lived on a cul-de-sac that had 4 houses on it. I had the only dogs for years - two beagles. When I moved, there were two beagles on the east side of me. When I stopped by earlier this week, the neighbor on the west side brought out her new 9-month old puppy - a beagle. To the west of them, I was told, the neighbors who were moving in just as I left - they have a beagle puppy. Just a tiny, baby one, but I didn't see it.

Yet.

Watch out. Beagles are taking over.