The View From the Dog Park

<<-----After the walk.....she's a little tired!

Scarlet and I have had a lot of alone time this past week. We've already been on countless walks, and I've picked up more dog poo with a little green bag than I care to talk about. Not one of the perks of having a dog! :) She seems to really enjoy our together time, and it is actually very peaceful to go on walks with her(unless she sees another dog, then its a miracle my arm stays in its socket).

As most of you know, Scarlet went to "military school" for three months this spring, and it was really a blessing. Those who did not know my pup before can't appreciate the difference, but the small act of sitting at someone's feet rather than jumping up in their face and licking is perhaps one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Everytime she goes to the bathroom outside, I want to jump for joy. Not only has she been taught these things, but I was taught how to communicate with her as well. Her dog trainer told me that dogs can understand up to 280 words. I don't need her to know that many......who knows what she would tell people about me?!?! :) But its nice to be able to tell her to stay back, not to pull her leash, not to bark, etc. And its also nice that she can understand me when I praise her when she does follow the commands. It may lead my new neighbors to believe I talk to myself when we're out on the trails, but that's a small price to pay for a well-behaved pup!

As I said before, we have about 5 miles of walking trails around our apartment community for Scarlet and I to enjoy. We also have the dog park, which Scarlet seems to like a lot. I think she may sniff so much that her nose could fall off soon, but its really great for her. I included some pics here for everyone to see what its like. You can tell that she's smiling, and that she is warm! She always lets me know when she's ready to go home from the park by plopping down underneath the bench I'm sitting on, her tongue laying out the side of her mouth. Poor pup is not used to this weather!

Even though she is a pain in the neck a lot of the time, I'm so glad that I have her.....especially for these weeks in Austin when I'm all alone. She's a great excuse to talk to my neighbors...the dogs always have to stop and smell one another, so it gives me a chance to talk for a little bit. Although the one neighbor that I've actually exchanged names with and stops to pet her when we see him, she is afraid of him and won't go near him. Little brat! She also talks back to me sometimes, and its definitely trying on me to remind her NOT to jump on the couch as much as I have to. (she is a little slow.....kind of like Forrest Gump, very charming though! ) The only time she wants to chew on her squeaky shoe toy is when I'm on the phone. AHHH! She definitely keeps me on my toes, but its really nice to always have someone that is happy to see me when I get home. So I guess I can look past the rest of it. Who can stay mad at that face?! :)

Scarlet says "No more pictures!"