It is almost a daily ritual….
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It is almost a daily ritual. It begins in the bedroom. When Lexi sees me get my hiking shoes, then as I lay them on the bed, her eyes brighten. She gets that smile on her face and watches me carefully. Her ears perk up and her tail begins to wag slowly. By the time I have my shoes on she is in motion with her tail wagging and her rear end is swaying. As I pick up the car keys she is dancing beside me. Usually she is leaping up and down as we go to the garage. Jumping in the car she is ready for adventure.
Driving to the dog park at ASCG (Anne Springs Close Greenway), she used to whine the whole way there but lately she is more subdued. It is about a five minute drive. She is in hyper-excited mode. As we turn into the park she will begin to bark at other people and dogs. There are usually crowds of bicyclists, riding, parked or loading and unloading as we pull in. This is also an area where cyclists park. She is so ready now. As her leash is attached in the back seat, she is salivating and whining.
Walking to the gate of the dog park and trail, it is a tug of war. She may pause to greet an occasion canine friend who maybe coming or going but the steady pull is her desire to get there! Once inside the park she is unleashed. Usually this means she needs to ‘mark’ her arrival leaving a deposit for me to pick up. She will continue to spot mark all around the park and trail so her canine friends will know she has been here. We may stop and visit a little while with some of her new and old friends before we walk the trail through the woods.
The park and the trails through the woods are ‘off leash’ areas so she has her freedom. Boy does she love that. Lexi may look like Golden Retriever but she is a Australian Shepherd and Golden mix. Personality wise the Shepherd in her won. As a result she is the leader and I am to follow. She may veer off course to check out interesting places and smells but not for long. Then duty calls her back to lead me onward.
The trails generally all lead from the top of a hill down to a lake which would be call a pond in Florida. When you reach the lake, dogs will be enjoying the water. Not Lexi however. She doesn’t like to swim. She has been know to occasionally wade in the water but only if there are no other options. She may pause, look and wonder why are they in the water? She will look back at me as if to say, “Don’t dawdle. We need to keep moving.”
So back up the hill we go. Now she is less likely to want to explore. He motivation now is let’s ‘get this done.’ As we reenter the park area she is intent on finishing the task which is to ‘go home.’ She nearly runs to the exit hardly noticing the other dogs now.
As we drive home I open all the car’s window if it is not too hot, to let her cool down. She has just been to ‘Nirvana’…