With the dog parks closed down for the time being Max and I have actually had to get our exercise the good old fashioned way by going for a walk.

Before, all I’d have to do is mention the word park and he’d start going crazy, but he gets just as worked up when I mention a few other words as well. When I say “shed,” he knows we’re going out to the backyard, so he’ll race to the back door with his tail wagging and begin to jump up and down. When I mention car ride or walk, he runs to the front closet and starts banging the leash hanging there with his nose. When I grab the leash he gets so exited that I’ll actually have to tell him to sit so I can get the darn thing around his neck.

We went for a walk yesterday and it seemed like every dog owner in the neighbourhood had the same idea. I counted 6 other people walking their dogs, including one lady who was actually walking two pit bulls. She was a very petite lady and she definitely had her mitts full with those two powerhouses! She was more or less just hanging on for the ride.

I always take a bag with me to scoop up whatever Max might deposit on somebody’s front lawn, but yesterday, for some reason, I forgot to grab one. For the whole walk I was praying that if Max had to go he’d hold it until we got back to the friendly confines of our backyard, which he ended up doing. I didn’t want anyone pointing me out to their friends saying, “There’s that idiot who let his dog poop on our lawn and didn’t even pick it up.”

With more sunshine and warm temperatures in the forecast for today, it looks like another “walk” day for Max and I. I hope I remember to take a plastic bag with me this time.