Park n bark

The weather was unseasonably beautiful last weekend so we made a spur of the moment decision to jump in the car and go for a long walk at a nearby park.

Pepper always acts weird in cars. She is so excited to get in and then a few minutes into the ride she starts giving out a strange quiet but high pitched whine almost like she’s crying and I can never tell if it’s a happy whine or an unhappy one. I open all the windows on a theory that cabin pressure is uncomfortable for her even though we are flying at an altitude of maybe three feet with no turbulence in sight.

At the park she goes into a sniffing frenzy. It’s like she’s been dropped into the worlds

biggest collection of smells and she’s in sensory overload. She’s so excited her bladder and bowels can’t take it. Mr. Pickup is always on duty with a roll of hot pink bags.

She’s so excited she pays no attention to people. On our neighborhood walks she always

gets barky when strange people come into her view. Here in the park she’s also about 80% unaware of other dogs. Only when they notice and react to her does her back suddenly grow a hump of stand up fur to indicate she’d like to show some pooch or other who’s the top dog. She is so happy to be discovering new and different smells that she is marking territory like crazy. A drop of pee here drop of pee there. Here a drop. There a drop. It’s a wonder she’s got any left. Probably doesn’t. Probably just spraying pee scented air now. And then its time for home. Again she eagerly leaps into the car and off we go. 2 minutes later its wheeeeee! Whhhhhhheeeeeee! All the way home. And there she drinks a whole bowl of water and fall fast asleep.