Our next door neighbors have two dogs: Fritz, a bark less dachshund, and a small bear-like Blue Chow Chow, named Chai. Yep, named after the tea. Roy & Patricia did not exactly name Chai after the tea per se ,but after their fondness for my husband, Dan, and his favorite passion- tea. So, as of late , the Tea Drinker has been taking Chai for his morning walks. Yesterday, I decided I would take the small bear for a walk around the neighborhood all by myself. Keep in mind, I have a cat- who basically has two positions-lying down and lying down. I admit, I was not prepared for this adventure.
Yesterday, I popped my head over the fence, and announced to my neighbor that Dan was at the Farmer’s Market peddling Drink the Leaf teas so he would not be able to take Chai for a walk. However, I would happy to do it, all by myself. Then, I confidently stated that I would be over in 15 minutes. I peeled Little One from her favorite resting spot in the backyard, under the Japanese Maple tree and put her in the house. Then, I grabbed my water bottle, put on my sneakers, did a few knee bends, and headed out the door. Oops- forgot one essential item- the plastic baggies. Ugh. Maybe, I should rethink this adventure ,after all.
As I made my way up their walkway, Chai came bounding down the path, and leaped at the gate, just above the sign that read, “beware of dog”. Hmm. He smiled or maybe leered at me, as Patricia, wrangled him and put his leash on. As Chai dragged me down the walk, the last thing I heard her say was, “Do you know how to hold the leash?”. I quickly tripled wrapped the leash around my wrist, and thrust my arm triumphantly into the air, and vanished around the corner. The first challenge was trying to keep up with Chai, as he pitched me forward on my tippy toes, and steered me down the sidewalk. All I could see in front of me was a huge tuff of black fur, and an occasional view of his blueish black tongue, lapping at the air. I held on for dear life trying to remember all the basics of dog walking. I peeled my eyes for any small animals or children, and prayed that parents kept them in side for the next 3o minutes.
As I started to relax, I realized that Chai was on a mission. He definitely knew his route, and was very polite and stopped at all crosswalks. I was impressed. And I was extremely impressed with his efficiency in marking trees on the fly. He was a Chow with direction, and hit the mark every time. Every once in a while, he would look back at me, to see if I was still attached to the other end of the leash, then he would take off with abandon. Maybe I could convince my Boot Camp instructors to implement this form of exercise into our routine. ( Move at mock speed, perched on the tips of your toes, your arm tightly stretched out- switch arms every few minutes, when pain sets in, and repeat for 3o minutes).
I knew a couple of things about Chai- he loved squirrels, or should I say he would love to have one for lunch. And, that he did this funny dance when he had to go, if you know what I mean. Dan had told me about the “poop zone”, near the park, so, I was prepared. On a side note, the Tea Drinker, is not amused that our yard is the poop zone for every other dog in the neighborhood. So, beware. Back to Chai, he is not like every other dog, he's choosy. He picked his spot, and I began to look over my shoulder, and to my dismay I had an audience. As one of my neighbors watched me try to hold Chai, and at the same time maneuver picking up the present that he left behind, I am sure he was thinking , this girl does not have a clue. Mission accomplished, Chai and I proceeded on, but now both of my arms were stretched out long- one with the leash, and one with the bag of goodies as far away from me as possible…
Then, my armed jerked suddenly, as Chai spied a squirrel or was it a small lap dog? Not sure, and I was not sticking around to find out. We turned back towards home as a young boy walked by, and stated: “Nice dog”. I proudly said, thanks. Then, a young couple rode by on their bikes, with their child trailing behind in a caboose(at least he was enclosed), and yelled, “look at that beautiful dog”. Yes, I was truly proud. I marched home feeling good, handed Chai back over and happily reported that I would be back tomorrow!
Yesterday, I popped my head over the fence, and announced to my neighbor that Dan was at the Farmer’s Market peddling Drink the Leaf teas so he would not be able to take Chai for a walk. However, I would happy to do it, all by myself. Then, I confidently stated that I would be over in 15 minutes. I peeled Little One from her favorite resting spot in the backyard, under the Japanese Maple tree and put her in the house. Then, I grabbed my water bottle, put on my sneakers, did a few knee bends, and headed out the door. Oops- forgot one essential item- the plastic baggies. Ugh. Maybe, I should rethink this adventure ,after all.
As I made my way up their walkway, Chai came bounding down the path, and leaped at the gate, just above the sign that read, “beware of dog”. Hmm. He smiled or maybe leered at me, as Patricia, wrangled him and put his leash on. As Chai dragged me down the walk, the last thing I heard her say was, “Do you know how to hold the leash?”. I quickly tripled wrapped the leash around my wrist, and thrust my arm triumphantly into the air, and vanished around the corner. The first challenge was trying to keep up with Chai, as he pitched me forward on my tippy toes, and steered me down the sidewalk. All I could see in front of me was a huge tuff of black fur, and an occasional view of his blueish black tongue, lapping at the air. I held on for dear life trying to remember all the basics of dog walking. I peeled my eyes for any small animals or children, and prayed that parents kept them in side for the next 3o minutes.
As I started to relax, I realized that Chai was on a mission. He definitely knew his route, and was very polite and stopped at all crosswalks. I was impressed. And I was extremely impressed with his efficiency in marking trees on the fly. He was a Chow with direction, and hit the mark every time. Every once in a while, he would look back at me, to see if I was still attached to the other end of the leash, then he would take off with abandon. Maybe I could convince my Boot Camp instructors to implement this form of exercise into our routine. ( Move at mock speed, perched on the tips of your toes, your arm tightly stretched out- switch arms every few minutes, when pain sets in, and repeat for 3o minutes).
I knew a couple of things about Chai- he loved squirrels, or should I say he would love to have one for lunch. And, that he did this funny dance when he had to go, if you know what I mean. Dan had told me about the “poop zone”, near the park, so, I was prepared. On a side note, the Tea Drinker, is not amused that our yard is the poop zone for every other dog in the neighborhood. So, beware. Back to Chai, he is not like every other dog, he's choosy. He picked his spot, and I began to look over my shoulder, and to my dismay I had an audience. As one of my neighbors watched me try to hold Chai, and at the same time maneuver picking up the present that he left behind, I am sure he was thinking , this girl does not have a clue. Mission accomplished, Chai and I proceeded on, but now both of my arms were stretched out long- one with the leash, and one with the bag of goodies as far away from me as possible…
Then, my armed jerked suddenly, as Chai spied a squirrel or was it a small lap dog? Not sure, and I was not sticking around to find out. We turned back towards home as a young boy walked by, and stated: “Nice dog”. I proudly said, thanks. Then, a young couple rode by on their bikes, with their child trailing behind in a caboose(at least he was enclosed), and yelled, “look at that beautiful dog”. Yes, I was truly proud. I marched home feeling good, handed Chai back over and happily reported that I would be back tomorrow!
Photos: Baby Chai- 2007, Adult Chai 2009.
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