Guest Post: Tail Tales

[Editor's Note: I take no responsibility for any of the following content. ]

I got to go for a run today with Daddy!  We went for a car ride, and he rolled the windows down!  We went to this place called Chattahoochee.  I don't know what that is but I guess it means we go outside in the woods and stuff.  We got there and Daddy took FOREVER putting his socks and shoes on.  He kept telling me to "wait" in the car but there was so much to do and see outside that I just couldn't wait to get out.  I kept inching forward more and more until finally he put my leash on and let me go outside!  Then we ran into some people and I tried to sniff them and some other dogs and I tried to sniff them too and there were so many things on the ground to sniff and there was one big doberman who I wanted to say hi to but was just too good for me I guess because he just stuck his pretentious nose in the air and didn't even acknowledge me.  Stupid Germans, why can't they be more friendly?  Then Daddy counted "1...2...3" and we were off!  I wanted to run fast but Daddy had me on the leash and told me to slow down and pace myself.  I don't know what that means.  He talks to me a lot, and most of the time I have no idea what he is saying.  But that's ok because I was having fun.  So we're just trotting along on this soft gravelly path and then all of a sudden he turns and we head up into the woods!  We passed another dog but that dog was down at a creek and we didn't stop to say hi because we were running!  And we ran up and down and up and down and I don't know where Daddy was going but he kept stopping every once in a while and looking at his watch and muttering something about his heart rate.  I don't know what that is.  But we kept going after a second and it was so exciting and fun and all sorts of things to see and do.  Well there really wasn't much to do because we were running and I knew I was on a leash so I didn't try to run off in different directions (too much) and just stayed close to Daddy.  We got to see a squirrel and it ran across the path and I tried to chase it but Daddy said no.  Later we saw this big ol' blue bird that Daddy said was a very big and pretty blue jay.  Daddy told me that one of the great things about running in the woods is getting to listen to all of the sounds of the birds and animals, and see beautiful things like that blue jay flying through the trees.  And we ran for a while and I was having lots of fun and my tongue was hanging out everywhere and then we got to a river that Daddy called Sope Creek.  (He said they spell it funny like that, but I don't know why.)  And I got to run in the river a little bit and cool off and get all wet and fun.  I love playing in the water.  It's my favorite thing, along with running and eating and napping and playing and licking things and sniffing around and meeting new dogs and people and... you get the idea!  Then after a little while we went back and started running again.  On the way back we came across this silly guy who had big headphones on his head - the really huge ones that cover your whole ear.  Well, not my whole ear, I have big ears, but human ears.  Daddy yelled at him to get out of the way because we were trying to run through, but the man couldn't hear anything because of the things on his head and so we had to run around him as he looked surprised to see us.  Daddy just shook his head and muttered something about the stupidity of taking a walk through the woods but putting on headphones like that so that you're not even listening to the nature that you're walking through.  I know what he meant - I love listening to everything and perking my ears up at even the smallest sounds!  Then we got back to where we started and I was really tired and panting hard and my tongue was flapping everywhere but that's ok because it was lots of fun and I got to go play in the woods with Daddy!  When we got back to the car he got me some water and petted me and told me how proud he was of me and what a good job I did running and something about how we went more than six miles!  I don't know what a mile is.

We're back home now, and I'm pooped.  I think I'm going to go take a nap.

Woof woof,

Dixie the Lab