Since losing Major I have not had a dog with me on my morning walks. I set out at 5 a.m. and walk 4 miles, which takes me about an hour. I'm not truly a morning person, because if left to my own devices I'll sleep until 10 a.m., but for the past 8-9 years or so I have found that if I like the solitude of exercising when nobody is around, and I don't have to worry about cars constantly passing, etc. My street is pretty busy during daylight hours and when I walk then I'm constantly getting over onto the shoulder to avoid them, especially when walking a large dog. At 5 a.m. I have to contend with the paper delivery man (who, incidentally, tears around the neighborhood and you need to watch out for his mini van) but otherwise it is quiet, dark and peaceful, and I can walk right in the middle of the street. I also see quite a few shooting stars throughout the year, which is a bonus! Lately, however, I without a dog to accompany me it has not felt right going alone, especially since it is so dark.
My next-door-neighbors have an Akbash/Great Pyrenees mix, Ellie, who is a very laid-back and calm dog, and she's also really good on leash. I have been meaning to pick her up and take her along with me, but I never did before, mainly because at 5 in the morning I did not want to disturb their sleeping household by coming in and collecting the dog. However, I decided now was the time, and the family was all for it. They are busy, with 6 young children and careers, so they are happy for me to get the dog out and exercise her.
Ellie's breed mix means she is a guard dog and though she is not as "guardy" and independent as many of her breed, she is still protective of the house and the children, and though she knows me well and likes me, someone coming in the door in the dark might not sit well with her. The first morning M, the mother of the house, got up and was there when I came over to get her, so Ellie would know this was a sanctioned activity. The second morning, this morning, nobody was up and Ellie barked, but not too much. She was timid, but I coaxed her out and she let me put the leash on and off we went.
Ellie seems a bit insecure in general, being leery of the tall trash bins that are rolled out to the street on trash day, and also leery of other pedestrians I pass in the dark. She needs more confidence and I think these walks will help, and the exercise is good for her too, of course. When we see someone coming (there are a few others I see regularly who walk at the same time as I do) she might stop in her tracks and wait, and I talk to her in a sing-song voice and encourage her that we are not concerned about these other walkers, and they are friends, and she need not worry.
This is a new activity for Ellie and I think any dog would be a little bit on edge walking in such thorough darkness and quiet, but especially for a guard dog, who has a genetic predisposition to scan the horizon and check for intruders. Her breed is typically kept outdoors with livestock, especially sheep, where they protect the herd and monitor for trouble. At night they might be especially on guard for trouble from foxes or coyotes. Ellie does not have duties like that, of course, but she cannot deny her heritage, and I have to take these things into account when working with her.
So far, anyway, she's done great. She does not pull on the leash at all, not even a tiny bit, and she is a pleasure to walk with. She has the stamina to go at a leisurely pace for an hour (she's leisurely with her long legs - she's a big dog - while I'm scrambling away as fast as I can on my little bitty short legs) and she seems to enjoy it.
She is a large breed dog so I will check with the family and be sure she does not have any new aches and pains that they have noticed, since there could be potential for things like hip dysplasia and knee problems, but she's not a cumbersome dog and this routine ought to be easy for her.
It is therapeutic for me to have a new dog to accompany me, and maybe I can help her with her timidity and minor insecurity on these walks. Trucks drive by, people walk by, dogs bark from yards and houses, trashcans loom and strange sounds emit from storm drains, plus there are so many interesting smells, and once she grows accustomed to the routine I think she'll gain some confidence. She is a really great dog with very calm and relaxed energy, in general, so I'm looking forward to the coming days as we get used to each other. So far she's not given me any problems at all.
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