I Need To Remember My Toothbrush When I Walk My Dogs

I am now the proud owner of two dogs. I thought that Seymour needed a companion and my life was getting a little too predictable. Zooey is our new rescue - cute as a walking 3 pound mop - but fearful of everything, including walking on a leash. Seymour had knee surgery 2 weeks ago, so has been practicing walking on 3 legs. Actually he is also learning to walk on only his 2 front legs when he wants to pee on something that is located on his bad side. Yes, the normal dog would just turn around, but no one who knows Seymour would ever call him "normal".

Back to our walk. Our neighborhood walk is a circle that is about a mile around. Both dogs get excited when I say "Let's go for a walk" after dinner. When I get them ready with their harnesses and right leashes, Zooey realizes what "walk" means and she runs for her bed, still leashed. Seymour, on the other hand, runs toward the door while attached to his leash. My arms are stretched like I am getting ready to fly. I pull Seymour toward Zooey, pick her up and open the door for Seymour so at least he he can enjoy his 3 legged walk.

As we start around the circle, I put Zooey down to see if she will get the hang of walking. I noticed that if she is facing any way but toward me, she doesn't seem to be able to move. She is like a little hot wheels car. The wheels/legs only go one direction so you have to physically pick it up and face it in the direction you want it to go. So as Seymour is straining to go one direction, I have to try not to pull him over as I go back to Zooey to head her in our direction. Then sometimes she will start walking, and sometimes she won't.

In the meantime, Seymour is playing his "poor me" surgery card by walking slowly, sniffing at every blade of grass, weed or tree he passes, and periodically circling round and round to get in the best position to pee a few drops. Fifteen minutes and about 50 feet away from our front door, I am unable to coax either dog to go back to the house. I am wondering if we will get around the circle before the sun sets.

Zooey decides she is ready to walk and Seymour decides he is ready to be carried - but not home, mind you. He wants to smell the air and look for deer from his perch in my arms. After a short time, he cranes his neck toward the ground; he is ready to walk again. It is now about 30 minutes into the walk and we have gone about 1/8 of a mile. Zooey periodically flops down on the street, content to sleep there for awhile. Seymour decides that he has to explore to the end of his leash, the direction opposite from where Zooey is snoozing. I finally stretch as far as i can toward Zooey so i won't topple Seymour over, and pick her up. I let Seymour continue his exploring, poor boy.

One hour and about 1/2 mile into our walk, the sun is starting to set. It will be pitch dark soon. No matter which way we go, it is still the same distance home. I can either carry both dogs or ask one of the neighbors if we can bed down in their yard until morning. But I forgot my toothbrush.