Time for a Walk Blog

Check out this short article that our awesome walker Ellen found on the Baltimore Sun Web site.  Thanks for sharing, Ellen.

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I have the best kind of pet — somebody else’s.

There’s Lulu, Amber and Theo. Wonderful dogs that belong to my neighbors. And Sugar, Elmo and Roxy, dogs that belong to out-of-town relatives.

My pets are wildly happy to see me when I arrive, but I leave without them.

I live the carefree life of someone who enjoys the unconditional love of an animal, but without any of the vet bills or the dog hair.

It is a kind of pet lend/lease program.

I have permission to enter the locked homes of my neighbors for a collar and a leash so I can enjoy a springtime walk with their dogs.

But I don’t have to walk the dog in the rain, or at 6 a.m., or if I don’t want to.

I am welcome to stop by for a dose of canine affection. But if that same dog gets loose and enters a neighbor’s kitchen and eats all the cat food, it isn’t me who looks bad.

We can’t have pets in our family. Really, really bad allergies.

But when I thought about finding a hypoallergenic dog like the one the Obama family owns, my friend Betsy said she wouldn’t be my friend anymore if I got a dog.

“Your life is chaos,” she said. “I won’t stand by and watch you add to it.”

That’s true enough. So when I start feeling blue, I head out into the neighborhood and see which of my dogs will drag their rightful owners to the ground, excitedly trying to get to me.

Then I undo hundreds of dollars in obedience lessons by allowing the dog to jump up on me and lick me in the face.

I am kind of like the Auntie Mame of the animal kingdom in my neighborhood.

Life was particularly grand for my pets and me during the winter snowstorms. Their owners couldn’t think of anything less fun than playing in 4 feet of snow with a couple of dogs. So I did.

After I had worn everyone out, I sent the dogs home, where their snow-covered coats melted all over someone else’s living room rug. It was like having kids, but without the bother of snowsuits.

Visiting Theo is particularly rewarding.

Theo is a help dog, trained by Fidos for Freedom to assist his master, Geoff. But when he is not wearing his red vest, he is free to pay attention to me. Theo’s training never really leaves him, so he will bring me an assortment of shoes and socks during a visit and place them at my feet.

Lulu is a year-old Lab-golden mix the size of a pony, and a total love sponge. She actually shuts her eyes and gives up a low moan when you pet her. Tender as a mother with her corgi neighbor, Lulu doesn’t know her own strength. If she decides to roll in the grass at your feet, she might hyperextend both of your knees or break the bones in your feet.

Sugar had a scarring experience in her childhood so she can act odd sometimes. When she visits, she and my husband fight over the couch and Sugar’s spot right in the middle of it. My husband grouses at Sugar but she just stares dumbly. It is like a Ralph Kramden-Ed Norton moment out of “The Honeymooners.”

My daughter shares in our community’s community pets as well. She will take one for a run or play ball with another, all the while passing out an assortment of coos and kisses.

“I can’t have a pet,” she declared in a moment of introspection. “I’m too self-involved.”

The other good thing about other people’s pets? If they know that about you, they never bring it up.

One of our walkers, Nancy, sent us this wonderful note that really exemplifies how kind and giving our clients are!  We hope to see a lot of you at the walk!

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It’s that time of year again when the Animal Welfare League of Arlington hosts the biggest dog-centered event in Arlington and asks all of us to help homeless animals in our community by participating in the 15^th Annual Walk for the Animals.

Last year, as part of the Time for a Walk Team, my dog Barney and I pledged to walk the three miles and raised approximately $250 from family, friends, and clients. This year, Barney and I will be joined by the newest member of our family, Duffy, who wasn’t from the Arlington Shelter; however, he is a rescue—one of lucky ones!

We sent emails and handed out letters to all those who helped last year and added a few new friends as well. Wow! The very next day Phoebe and Cami McGee’s mom Ashley left us a great note—“Go team Nancy, Barney, and Duffy!”—with a great contribution. What an awesome start! Then, the very next day, Tug O’Neill and her mom Carrie left another great note of encouragement and a contribution putting us closer to this year’s goal of $500.

We have several people who have added to our goal (a total of ten, so far). Today, the Payne family left notes and donations putting us over our $500 goal. How awesome! Jami was kind enough to share her story with me, speaking from experience, as Jami used the AWLA to find her girls.

Jami adopted Lexi after she was separated from her original family, but Lexi was a little lonesome during the day when Jami had to go to work, so Jami went to see if she could find her a sister. Last July, Jami adopted Georgi, who had had two other families that didn’t have the proper time to care for her. Lexi was so very happy to have a new friend in Georgi. Jami promised that the girls wouldn’t have to go back to the shelter and has worked extremely hard to fulfill that promise. Training Georgi has been easy because she loves her treats (what girl doesn’t?), but both have cut back on their treats to help the less fortunate dogs still in the shelter.

We haven’t stopped with our fund raising effort, as every dollar helps pay for medicine, beds, and food for many animals until new homes can be found. And the best is yet to come: We can’t wait to spend the whole day at Bluemont Park with the other members of our Time for a Walk team. Hope to see you there and thanks a million to all who have supported us and the AWLA.

One of our walkers passed this story on to us via NBC Local News.  If anyone else finds any bizarre, comic, or otherwise entertaining news stories about dogs (or cats) doing awesome (or not so awesome) things, feel free to send me an email at tara@timeforawalk.com.

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George Kaufmann takes his golden retriever to work at Robert Bernard Jewelers every day. That proved problematic one day in January when a diamond dealer took in a rock for the jewelers to inspect. As soon as the dealer pulled out the diamond, he dropped it.

“I went to pick up the diamond, it wasn’t there anymore,” said Kaufmann, who co-owns the business. ”I looked around and I didn’t see it. I grabbed his head, opened his mouth, looked inside and nothing there and I felt him swallow.”

Kaufmann scrambled to figure out how to get the $20,000 rock out of Soli’s stomach. A veterinarian assured Kaufman it would pass naturally, which meant checking every day.

“It wasn’t that pleasant,” Kaufman said. ”I had to go through it, which was not that nice. My cousin, who’s a dentist, he thought it was really funny. He brought me a box of rubber gloves.”

And it didn’t come easy. Kaufmann endured three days of sifting before finding the diamond in the roughage.

“It was like hitting paydirt, like in the gold rush,” Kaufman said

This bizarre story gained international attention. The National Enquirer picked it up, and on Monday, the BBC called for a live interview.

Just going to the local bank is an adventure for Kaufman, now.

“Somebody said, ‘Oh this is the dog that ate the diamond,” Kaufman said. “So he’s getting to be more well-known.”

Kaufman said he opted not to buy the diamond but return it instead — a decision he insisted had nothing to do with how he finally got his hands on it.

Christina recently discovered this really great company, Crate Covers and More, that specializes in stylish crate covers.  They have pre-made covers, but you can also design your own.  The prices are reasonable and the products are impressive.  If I had a dog, I’d probably buy five so my dog’s home could have a different look for each day of the week.  But alas…

Check out two of their covers below: