Dad used to have a tradition where every Sunday after church he’d take his dog Hamlet for a run in the woods down along the railroad tracks. Dad would walk a mile or so along the tracks, and Hamlet would go four or five, running ahead, running back, crashing through the woods, and jumping into the creek. They’d come home after an hour or two and Dad would cook Hamlet a fried egg. It was a weekly ritual and one that they both looked forward to.
Wylie and I don’t have any railroad tracks nearby, but we’re working on setting up our version of the tradition. This afternoon we repeated our no-leash experiment and while Wylie did some sniffing around the yard, I pulled weeds in the flowerbeds and the garden, tied up the tomato plants, and did various other bits of yard work. About the only time I got nervous about Wylie being off the leash was when someone walked through the park behind the house with her dog. Much to my surprise, and completely unlike other dogs you see out in their yards, Wylie was content to just watch them go by.
I’ve fallen into a habit the past few weeks of going out for ice cream on Sunday evenings. When you bring your dog along, one of the fun things Bruster’s does is they’ll give you a free “dog sundae” (a scoop of vanilla in a dish with a milk bone or two). So tonight I took Wylie along.
Wylie seemed to enjoy going out for ice cream. Perhaps we’ll do this again too.