The Walk

I took the girls on a walk today, and it was quite an adventure…

Around 1pm, Bella starts hounding me for a walk. This means following me around and sticking her nose in my face when I’m trying to play with Erin on the floor. I barricaded her with baby gates which only made her whine louder. At 2:30, I decide that Erin is ready – she’s had a nap, and has eaten and played for a little bit. I get a sweater for Erin, put it on, get a blanket and toys for Erin, get Bella’s leash, my shoes, sunglasses, and jacket, and the garage door opener. Then I put Erin in the stroller (she protested it), put Bella’s leash on, and we were off.

Bella is not good on the leash – she wanders around on either side of us and either pulls us from the front or lags behind, sniffing EVERYTHING. We are used to this and have gotten good at pushing the stroller with one hand and dragging Bella behind us with the other hand.

First, a lady runs up to us and asks us if we have seen her dog. Bella barks at her and scares Erin. Then, Bella has a poo-poo and I get some on my fingers trying to get it in the bag. Erin manages to lose both socks, even though I had her feet tucked in the blanket, so we turn around to pick them up.

After walking about 20 minutes away from our house, Erin suddenly decides she can NOT be in the stroller any longer. I think it was a combination of the hood of her sweater bothering her and the wind in her face. I have no choice but to take her out and carry her. Now I am holding Erin and Bella’s leash with one hand and pushing the stroller with the other hand, alternating as needed to keep up with Bella’s meandering.

We finally make it back to our street after much sniffing and Bella eating who knows what. I try to put Erin back in her stroller, only to have her bump her head on the plastic tray of the stroller, which doesn’t help the stroller cause. 3 little girls come running out to pet Bella, which freaks her out and she starts running circles around me. I lose the stroller and it goes down the street. I get Bella untangled and rescue her from the girls. We catch the stroller and make it home.

Whew. No wonder I don’t go to the gym any more. Either Bob or I do this every day, because all that is easier than dealing with monster Basset Hound all day long! So, don’t let Bella tell you we never do anything for her.