Monday, January 7, 2013

Walking With Fred



Fred loves to go for a walk. I’m sure you’re probably saying to yourself, “what dog doesn’t?” I know Fred is not unique in his feelings about walks. It is that very fun time he gets to go out and catch up on the neighborhood ‘news”. I read somewhere, (I know I've written about this before, sorry for the repeat) that when a dog goes outside and sniffs around, it is similar to us reading the paper. He learns about the current events in his area, get’s to leave a ‘comment’ on said news, and move on to the next story, if you get my drift.  Actually for Fred I think it’s more like giving the article a quick scan, and deciding that the story was his to begin with and needed to be edited…for content.

Fred and I have not been doing very much walking lately, mostly due to the weather, and the Holidays, and whatever the excuse of the day may be for me. My bad.
 "It's cold and crummy out there. I'll be fine right here."

 He always goes with me when I need to run errands, grocery shop and what not. There are a few stores that will let Fred come in with me. Walgreen's (they love him there), Home Depot, stores like that. 
One day before Christmas, I had to go to the mall, 3 stores, and I decided to bring Fred in. I figured the worse they would do was ask us to leave and there weren't any signs saying we couldn't. Well, no one did, and it was so much fun for Fred (sort of). There actually wasn’t anything for him to read, since there hadn’t been anything written before, so he had no need to do any editing (which was a relief to me).  We went into Spencer’s Gifts, I needed to get a tacky birthday card for a friend and Fred was a huge hit in there. From there we went to Bath and Body Works and no one seemed to care. On our ventures through the Mall, there were many children waiting to see Santa so Fred got some attention from the kids, he enjoyed that very much.  At one point, we needed to go upstairs and I realized the escalator was out of the question, I had too many things to carry and I couldn’t hold the handrail and carry him too. So we found an elevator. I pushed the button and we waited, Fred looking up at me wondering why we were staring at a door for no particular reason, then the doors opened up and Fred’s eyes got very big. We walked in, he hesitated at first, but went along. I hit the button and the doors closed. What happened next was nothing short of hilarious. I am pretty sure Fred thought we were having an earthquake or something, because his legs suddenly splayed out beside him, he got as low to the floor as he possibly could and his eyes bugged out (more than usual). 

Poor guy, luckily it was over quickly. Of course, I was laughing hysterically when the doors opened, and Fred v.e.r.y. carefully emerged from what ever that thing was and we went on our way.  He looked back once, maybe twice. I bought whatever it was that I needed to buy upstairs. 
Naturally, we still needed to get to the lower level to get to the car; I decided to take the stairs. That turned out to be a little easier said than done. Fred has no problem getting up and down the stairs here at home, as a matter of fact, it seems to turn in to a race, every time I have the need to go up or down, he has to win, he has to be first. It’s fun. He has his missteps here and there, but we don’t talk about those.
So, there we were at the top of the stairs in front of Sears. These are cement stairs and they have a light colored strip on the edge of each stair, I appreciate that, and it does make them easier to see. However, not for Fred, I question his depth perception, mostly because he can’t catch, and I don’t think he ever looks directly at me, if fact, when he does look at me I am not sure if he’s actually looking at me, his eyes go in different directions, like a lizzard. I guess it is the nature of the breed. I’ve seen some Boston’s that can catch anything at all, Fred just isn’t one of them. So I think when he saw those stairs, he had no idea what he was looking at, an optical illusion of sorts for him. He, very carefully, took a step forward. It was as if he was sticking a toe in the water to test it, and his foot kept going down until it reached the next step, he did this for about 2 or three, probably four stairs, then he got into the rhythm of the steps, and he trotted down, pretty good, a bit unsure, but he was fine. What an ordeal.
I am surprised he even gets into the car with me sometimes. He never knows what kind of and adventure we may go on. It must be weird to be Fred.

I hope everyone  had a nice couple of holidays. Hopefully going forward, I will blog more than I have lately. I just haven't had much to blog about. Maybe writing this will help get me back on track. Thanks so much for stopping by, it means a lot to me. :-) 

13 comments:

  1. OMGosh...that elevator story is a hoot!!! Glad to see you back blogging again...it's good for the soul. Don't worry about what to blog...I have a note on my desk:

    "If you're going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts t flow." - Louis L'Amour

    Also, in my case, I choose a photo and ideas come.

    Happy 2013!

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  2. I LOVE the picture of him wrapped up on the couch!

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  3. :) Good ol' Fred. He does make me smile bright and big!

    Happy New Years to you and Fred!!! It's so nice to see you back!

    *giggles at the elevator and stairs antics - my parents have a German Shepard that hates stairs... one nutty dog!*

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  4. You just have to love the antics of the breed! I can see my Boston doing the same thing in an elevator! Glad you are back! We did miss ya!

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  5. So nice to hear from you and Fred!
    Going for a walk with our Mickey is like reading a very long blog list, and leaving a comment on each and every blog.

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  6. We have a local dog-friendly mall, but I rarely ever see any dogs there. Maybe I should carry a chicken in under my arm next time I go!

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  7. That's great that stores let you take Fred into there stores. They don't allow that around here, but people try to get away with it, with little, little dogs. Unless it's a pet store!
    I gave up taking my dogs to the pet store, oh my goodness. 2 crazy Australian Shepherds are too much for that!! They are better left at the farm!
    Always love hearing about Fred's adventures!!

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  8. !!!! Hahaha!!!!!
    Mary that was a blog post fav for me! Live the thought of Fred reading the news, as he walks about. And his doggie burrito wrap too cute.

    Ya know, its a rough time of year, so many of us struggle with the cold dark, and mostly wet/grey days of the PNW.
    T hanks for the nice sentiments at my place.Would love to meet you...and your daughter! Cool!

    Oh, you mentioned HOME DEPOT. I can totally count on seeing the coolest pups in there. I really love that about going. Its a rare day if I don't see a Ridgeback, Standard, Pharaoh or Dane. I'll be looking for A Boston now!!!

    You must email me , I'll give yea my cell
    ( again? )
    KK

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  9. Oh and....about Fred's glance and eye stance.....you gotta know, one of them is on you!!!
    Tee he he!

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  10. The elevator made me lol! Oh Fred. What great adventures he has :)

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  11. Love the mall story and the elevator antics. It's really nice that they let you take him shopping with you, a nice adventure for Fred.

    Great analogy of Fred reading the paper and "editing". He looks so adorable wrapped up on the couch I feel like giving him a hug.

    Thanks for this post it really made me smile. :)

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  12. Lol loved the pictures! Just the other day I was listening to a radio talk show and the guest speaker was a veterinarian who emphasized the fact that dogs need to go on walks, not just for exercise but to give them time to sniff around..."because it's the same as us reading the newspaper." :)

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  13. LOL!!! That is hilarious!! I love Fred!!

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