I have been on a walking streak lately. I have done the mile around the neighborhood 5 days in a row, Walking that imaginary dog, indeed. As it gets hotter, it gets harder, but I aim to try to keep at it. A mile isn't really all that far and I wish I could make myself do it 2 or 3 times. I used to walk that far easily. Now I huff and puff and push the old body to do it. It is such a blessing that my bone on bone right knee has healed a lot and doesn't hurt continually on the walk.
I am coming to recognize some of my fellow walkers. Many of them walk real dogs. There are a pair of German shepherds and a pair of labs I see regularly. There are some smaller poo or other smaller hairy breeds and some clear mutts that I see often as well. One couple walking a couple of the poo variety dogs greeted me socially distanced a couple of days ago. The wife complimented me for having such well trained dogs that I could walk them without leashes. I laughed and corrected her mis-impression.
I had walked the usual route the day before. When I was the farthest point from home a couple of poo variety dogs came toward me from across the street. I wasn't too concerned. I had never encountered loose dogs on the walk before. As I was joined by these two wanderers, suddenly a large male yellow lab, barking, charged across the street toward me. Now yellow labs are usually friendly dogs, but not always. This guy stopped between me and the smaller dogs and barked and growled. Perhaps he was being friendly, but it didn't feel friendly. I stopped and held my ground and told him to calm down. The smaller dogs got out of my path and he let me pass, following them off to sniff something.
As I went on, the trio followed me up the hill. If the smaller dogs got too close to me, the big dog commenced barking and growling. I huffed on as fast as I could, as fast as I dared. They followed me down the block and around the corner. Finally, I passed some guys washing a car and they stopped following me. I assume they stopped to "talk" to the car washers but I didn't look back to check on that. I hurried toward home. That was me being scared of a trio of dogs, but apparently appearing to the casual observer to be walking my dogs without the use of leashes. I explained this to the couple.
They didn't see me walking my dogs (other than the imaginary one I didn't mention so as not to sound crazy). They saw me trying to escape a wandering pack of dogs that had me frightened. I considered bringing a walking stick with me the next time, but decided that I wouldn't be skillful enough to really stop a big dog with it. I think I will stick to imaginary dogs. They don't bark or growl. I don't have to take them to the vet or even feed them. And an imaginary dog can be any color or variety I want it to be. At least until this incident fads from my memory, my imaginary dog won't be a yellow lab.
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