Barbaric Bark

I really like dogs.

In fact, I used to be petrified of them. But I loved cats. I drew pictures of them all the time, I loved to play with my neighbors cats, my favorite stuffed animal was a cat...but that one stuffed cat was soon replaced by many, many, many stuffed animal dogs.

We adopted a young male vizsla when I was about three years old. After a few hours of screaming I guess my three year old brain decided that he wasn't so bad after all. So he became my best friend. We didn't talk, but we napped together, I read him books, I sang to him, we napped some more. Many of my earliest memories are with him. From this relationship I came to the conclusion, at three years of age, that dogs would be my favorite animal ever.

I was right.

In the back right corner of Birchwood Elemantary library, on the second shelf from the bottom, there are dog encyclopedias. Cat encyclopedias are on the bottom, but who cares about cats. I looked at the pictures. I read the blurbs about each breed. I checked the biggest encyclopedias out and took them home so I could look at them some more. To this day I cannot tell you how the Dewey Decimal System works because why would I ever need to remember how to find books if I already know where the dog ones are. I was memorizing breeds without realizing it. But finally in fifth grade I decided to take my plethora of knowledge to a professional level. I became the neighborhood dog walker.

Sure, I started out with one client. One dog, one walk, once a week.
How many dogs do I have now?
Good question.

I have 24. Not every week, but I take care of them when their owners are on vacation, or have long workdays. If I may, I can confirm that is is, in fact, a monopoly. Others have tried to take up petsitting in my neighborhood, but I just sit back and laugh as they slowly realize that the paying customers only have one phone number they care about, and it's mine.

Well, I guess I'm not that sinister about it, but I am pretty competitive. It took many years to develop my reputation and get to know people. The people I work for and the dogs I walk are extremely important to maintain relationships with. Not so much for the money, but more because I really love all the dogs in my neighborhood, and I would hate to miss an oppurtunity to hang out with them. They're a huge part of my life, as much of my time is spent with them. I've gotten to know their personalities, their routines, their quirks.

I think what I find most appealing about dogs is their communication. I hear so many dog owners complain that their dogs "don't listen". However, it is the owners that aren't listening to their dogs. Yelling at them won't work because, well, dogs don't speak english. You can learn so much more from them, and communicate so much more to them, though body language. Everything they do can be interpreted as important information they are trying to convey to you. For example, if your dog rips up pillows every day while you're at work, it's not to spite you, and getting angry won't help. The dog is just trying to show its anxiety over being left alone for so long. On the other side, the best way to communicate to your dog is to do so without words. Why does your dog seem to sense when you're sick? Does it jump in your bed and stay there until you feel better? It's not magic, they're just really good at reading your body language.

These silent conversations with dogs are imperative to building a relationship with them. Whenever I have a new client, or a new dog to walk, I always spend the first couple visits just sitting on the porch with the dog in my lap. Maybe for a few hours a day. Not saying anything, just being still and allowing them to relax. It helps me relax too.


This is Cooper (male, australian cattle dog). He's the dog equivalent of a grumpy old man but he still loves to chase around tennis balls, even if he can't see them.

I love dogs.