An Addendum to the Annotated Alliteration

Garden...

Here's what's popping up in the garden lately:

Gunner...
I never considered myself a "dog person". When I was growing up we had a dog here and there. I liked them enough to feed them and care when something happened to them but that was about it. Since then,  I would politely acknowledge people's dogs when they came bounding up to me--licking and smelling with reckless abandon--only because I know people love their dogs and I would not want to treat them with disdain. Or disgust. But that was before I decided we needed a dog. I thought Shane needed some unconditional love and companionship. He got left at the bottom of the pecking order in our big family and he had no one to pester and play with. It was strictly a motherly, child development decision.

 I didn't plan to get attached. But, somehow he became my new best friend--I followed the Dog Whisperer's instructions so well, I have become the Alpha to our puppy friend. He follows me everywhere and when he looks up at me with those puppy-dog eyes, it kind of melts my dog-indifferent heart. So now my favorite workout is taking Gunner for a "walk". I think we are going for a walk, he has his own plans. He used to charge up the driveway and tear through the front gate with me doing my best to keep a tight grip on the leash. He was so excited about the change of scenery, he was running and sniffing and yanking my arm with abrupt starts and stops. But this is not the way of the Dog Whisperer. I am to exude "calm assertive". I am to make my dog respect me and walk beside me. And after some hard work and a pocketful of treats, I did get him to stay near me and walk forward. But that got to be old and boring. We get to the top of the driveway and he sniffs the air. "Been there done that" is his attitude and he turns around and heads back to the house. I am determined to get him some exercise so I persist. I tug and pull and cajole until I get him a few houses down the street. Suddenly, he picks up the pace so I jog a little thinking he's ready to go. Then, the leash pulls taut and I look around to see Gunner sitting on the curb. Sitting. Like a human would--he looks so nonchalant I expect him to cross his legs and say "Let's take a little breather, shall we?"

Since I am not a giver-upper, I have continued to take him out for a walk each day. He seems resigned to it and comes along without too much trouble now. Of course, the down side of walking the dog is his need to heed nature's call. I used to watch people picking up after their dogs and feel gratitude that I didn't have to do anything so demeaning. But, now I do. I clean up after my dog because I am a decent human being and follow the rules of polite society. This means that most of the time when I am heading home with Gunner surging ahead--he gets excited when he gets back to his own territory--I usually have a nice little bag of "stuff" in one hand and a tight grip on the leash with my other hand. This sometimes causes a bit of an etiquette dilemma when one of my friendly neighbors waves at me. The hand holding the leash is not free to wave so...do you think it's rude to wave doggie doo doo at your neighbors? Or if I don't wave at all will they think I'm snobby? I guess I'll ask the Dog Whisperer.