[nagdu] Took Chet for a walk

Buddy Brannan buddy at brannan.name
Sun Mar 28 03:30:00 UTC 2010


Hey y'all,

I did something today that it was probably better that I didn't do, but curiosity had gotten the better of me. Having now done it, I almost, but only almost, wish I hadn't. I took Chet for a walk. 

For those who don't know, I retired Chet in October, when it became clear that his work was starting to slip, with a combination of dog distraction issues, anxiety during long car rides, and a general slowing down after just a short time into a walk. Chet's getting kind of bored, and I was wondering how he would react to a walk in harness, you know, for old time's sake. 

You know the expression, "The spirit is willing but the body is unable" (or something like that)? This seems to be the case, at least to some extent. When I got the harness, Chet all but dove into it, doing his usual running around in a circle first. And then, we were off. That first block, I was asking myself, "Why did you retire this dog?" We were walking at a good clip, Chet seemed alert, we were both feeling great! But then, we turned the corner, and I remembered. He slowed down. A lot. It was hard not to overstep him. The harness handle just sat in my hand, requiring nearly no grip at all. Even so, Chet avoided obstacles, and I think, though cannot be certain, he spotted a dog in the home stretch, because he started looking off to his left as we were crossing a street, and our course veered that way (toward the parallel street) somewhat--although he made the crossing fine anyhow. When we got home, Chet seemed very, very pleased with himself. 

So why do I almost wish I hadn't done this, you might ask? Partly because I know I made the right decision. I expect that his slowing down is making it that much easier for his mind to wander enough for him to be distracted by the things that have always distracted him, namely, four-leggeds coming towards or near us. I also confirmed my suspicion that he would very likely have a very difficult time with another dog doing his job, even though it's one that he cannot do as well anymore as he once did. And mostly, because it reminded me how much I miss working a dog. As if I needed reminding. But man, did it feel great. Kind of bittersweet, though, because it probably is the last time.  
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY







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