Buddy's outing

Not Buddy - to protect Buddy's identity

When my husband agreed to walk our neighbour's dog while they took a vacation, I thought it would be fun to tag along.

After all, who could resist images of Lassie roaming the hills and Rover dashing into the bushes to retrieve a branch or tennis ball.

Huh!

This was what I found out instead-

This dog was:

⦁ Full of nervous energy - totally unchanneled 
⦁ Drawn to every upright structure, from power and phone poles to tree trunks and - of course - fire hydrants; In fact, any random object in its path was worthy of further sniffing and exploration
⦁ Perpetually in need of urinating - at each of the above; marking your territory was one thing, but repeating the whole exercise on the way back - even when there was nothing left in the bladder to empty - was downright obsessive

What was initially estimated to be a brisk 20-minute walk stretched out to a one-hour event.

Which made me wonder, was this behaviour peculiar to this dog or was it characteristic of all dogs?

Regardless of the answer, however, I congratulated myself on having wisely chosen to share my life with a cat instead. With his regal cool demeanor, discrete bathroom behaviour, and fierce sense of independence, he is the very embodiment of a picture-perfect low-maintenance pet.

I mean, there is just no comparison.

Let me know if you agree...