Our New Friend

I arrived home mid afternoon last week, only to be greeted by a gray dog in the entrance of my driveway.  He was wearing a collar and looked to be full-bred (resembling a greyhound, but a beefier breed).  A good sign that he was not a rabid stray.  And, consequently, my new friend.

He slowly crept closer to me, head low, showing a sweet and passive demeanor and, obviously ready to be my friend as well.  I stuck my hand out to allow him a sniff, and he tore off in the other direction, circling the yard and stopping to stare from the neighbors' front yard.  He was not ready to be friends.   

I walked in the house and told my husband about the lost dog and he immediately grabbed a leash to try to catch him.  I told him the dog was definitely sweet, but hard to catch.  He headed out anyways. 

My dog, Ebenezer, did not like his dad showing attention to another dog.  He sat at the front door making all kinds of unfamiliar noises.  I think maybe he was scared for his dad. 

Thirty minutes later, my husband returned.  He said he easily caught the dog.  I questioned how this was possible, and he explained to me that he is the "dog whisperer". 

He walked our new friend down the street and asked an elderly neighbor if she recognized the dog.  The neighbor did!  It belonged to a single mom and her daughter next door and must have escaped through the gate when the yard service left.  She explained that the dog was still a puppy (really??), only about a year old.

My husband walked the pup up to the front door and knocked.  A young, teenage girl reluctantly answered.  She looked at my husband, then followed the leash down to her dog, with a look of pure confusion.  It was apparent that she had no idea that her dog had escaped.  She said very little, other than "I'm going to cry" and "thank you".  I think we may have saved her from the wrath of mom for losing their new dog while she was away...thanks to the "dog whisperer".

The Great Shoe Mystery

For years now, I come home to find my shoes, or one shoe, lying in the oddest spots in my house. Now, most people would assume it was the dog. Everyone knows dogs love shoes and anyone with a dog most likely experienced the loss of a few shoes to a dog. Fortunately, my dog never actually picked up that habit. I can honestly say, my dog, Ebenezer, has never chewed up a shoe (the inner foot pad, maybe).

My cat on the other hand has a shoe fetish. On several occassions, I have seen her with her head in my shoe or sleeping on top of them. This leads me to doubt the likely culprit, my dog, and turn my attentions to the only other possible shoe bandit in the house, the cat. Now, you may be thinking that this theory is ridiculous. But, keep in mind, my cat is actually bigger than my 6.5 lb Maltipoo (that is a Maltese/Poodle mix, for the few of you not familiar with "designer dogs").

So, as I ponder the possiblities- my cat's shoe fetish and my dog's lack of shoe chewing behavior- I start to realize that my theory is not so crazy. My cat is moving my shoes around the house! (Hey, she might even be doing it to frame the dog...)

I may have you believing this by now as well. And, I actually thought I had solved this mystery until a few days ago.

My husband came home in the middle of the day and sat down at our home office desk. He started hearing some thuds from upstairs. He ignored the first thud and assumed it was the dog chasing the cat (they like to play this game...). Then he heard a very loud thud and thought the two had knocked something off of our nightstand in the bedroom. My husband raced to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see my Maltipoo trotting down the hallway with a shoe in his mouth! Caught him red-handed when he least expected it! He had been throwing the shoe around like one of his toys (another game he likes to play) and he ran down the stairs to greet my husband with his prize.

We are happy to report that we now keep our shoes in the closet and the door closed when we leave the house....The Great Shoe Mystery- solved!

The Start of My Dog Walking Journey

I will start with some background. I am the Human Resources Director for the Embassy Suites in Raleigh, NC, a hotel owned by Hilton and Felcor. I have held this position after being promoted for about 3 years in my 11'x11' office with no windows and pink wall-papered walls that I can only imagine date back to the 80's. Before my corporate position, I helped run a family-owned Bed & Breakfast, and when that Inn sold, I thought the best route for me was hotels.

I was wrong. As many, young 20-something's find out numerous times after graduating from college. Hotels and corporate life are not for me. What is the next step? My next venture? Well, the next logical step is dog walking! (That seems fair to me)

Okay, so I do not have any background in the development or care of animals. What I do have is a ridiculous, cat-lady, I'm worried I won't love my children as much as my dog kind of love for animals. In fact, my whole life my father kept telling me I should be a veterinarian. So, when my friend told me that she has a dog walker in Atlanta, I though "Wow, I would love that job!" Thus, begins my journey into dog walking and pet care.

You will be happy to know that I have actually cared for many pets in my lifetime. Growing up I had more hamsters than I can count, a huge fish tank, 2 childhood cats- Redford, a wild stray, and Pitter Patt, my Himalayan Persian Christmas present, a family dog- Barnacle, a 110 lb. Golden Retriever, my first cat in college- Turkey, a stray we picked up from the Chapel Hill Animal Shelter, my first dog after college- Ebenezer, a 6.5 lb Maltipoo, and now I have acquired my husband's hunting dog- a black Labrador Retriever named Lily. You may be shocked to hear that my husband will not allow me to get the Golden Doodle I want! ...which brings me to my new venture in dog walking! If I cannot add a new animal to my family, I think the next best option is to surround myself with the beloved pets of others. I look forward to my last day in Corporate America (Oct. 22) and this new dog walking adventure!

Stay tuned for stories about my dog walking journey in future blogs...