woof.

On Sunday morning, I layered up and walked the 15 minutes to a local dog shelter. But it's not what you think. I didn't go in the hopes of bringing home a puppy of my very own. Instead, i was volunteering to walk some of the 32 dogs that have been rescued and now live at this shelter.

And that's what i did. I waited outside while the shelter's manager, a friendly guy named Howard, went in to fetch me my first doggie. He came out with a big ole' pit bull named Dutch. Well hello there big dog that eats people. He was very nice though and just wanted to do his business. I tried to take him for a nice stroll around the neighborhood but he wasn't into it and he planted his feet. Did i mention he was stronger than me so forcing him to trot along side me was not an option. This was not like walking princess libby dog. I scooped his poop and brought him back to the shelter.

Next up was Phyllis, a much smaller pit bull mix who had been badly abused and was all cut up and missing some fur. She was very affectionate and just wanted to be loved. Howard kept picking her up and kissing her and he encouraged me to do the same which confused me because she weighed around 40 lbs and didn't look like the kind of dog you just hoisted up. Anyways, after she did her business, this one didn't want to walk either -- i was starting to feel like a dog walking failure.

Luckily, Percy was up next - a wirey terrier of sorts who was all about the snow and the walking along side me. He was also much more manageable as he was just a little guy. Though he wasn't into being hugged and smooched, he clearly appreciated the chance to roam the streets of brooklyn and learn something from me: rule number 1 of walking, don't eat other dog's poop. rule number 2, don't eat yellow snow. He has a long way to go but i feel like he has potential and i finally felt vindicated!

Success is hard to measure -

Total number of poops scooped: 3
Total number of dogs i put in my pocket to bring home: 0

The good news is that i got to spend the morning with dogs. Th other good news is that i didn't get eaten by a pit bull.

I will say that i was surprised by myself - though all the dogs i walked were fairly sweet-natured (though Howard told me not to bring them near small children or other dogs, oy), i didn't want to nuzzle and put my face in theirs the way i typically do with dogs i know. I did notice that i was big on the positive reinforcement and encouragement, hoping to lift their self-esteem. On the quiet sunday morning streets, you could hear my voice from blocks away: "GOOD DOG DUTCH! YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD BOY!!!!"

DUTCH:



PERCY: