There are certain words that make Puck extra excited, and one of the word combinations that sends him over the edge is "Do you want to take a walk?". Saying those words while putting on my gym shoes nearly sends him head over paws on his way to the door as he careens off the walls and slides on the rugs. He doesn't really believe it's actually going to happen though, until he sees me pull the door closed while he's still on the outside of it, and his anticipation for that moment makes him shiver all over while he holds his breath and crouches in readiness. Once the door is closed, he turns for the front gate so fast his front legs come off the ground like a miniature stallion rearing. Well, he looks a little more like a chubby dwarfish pony than a stallion, for sure, but he's very majestic in his attitude anyway. He loves going for a walk so much that it's great motivation for me.
We don't walk in our neighborhood though, since we don't enjoy being lunged at by scary dogs behind fences and yipped at by the herds of tiny house dogs that prowl our streets (have you ever tried to kick a tiny dog? They are so fast it's impossible!). Instead, we take a one minute drive to the nearby walking track on the grounds of a historic mansion.
In years past, before the trail was built, we walked the long road to the mansion, which never had any traffic since the mansion closes in the evening and we had the road all to ourselves. But a few years ago a small lake and walking trail was built there. At first Puck and I were sort of grumpy about having other people at "our place," but we've come to appreciate the track and the lake so much that we don't mind to share.
We haven't been taking our walks all summer, and poor Puck is becoming even more of a couch potato than me. He only gets a quarter of a cup of cat food in the morning, and a cup of dog food in the evening, and he's still getting fat. I'm not sure why I can exercise for my dog's benefit more readily than I can my own benefit, but it's true. We have been making a little more effort to get back in the walking groove, and it's been very good for both of us. The trail has lots of lovely things to admire, like the herds of young steers in the photo above.
There are always beautiful skies, and I take every opportunity to stop for photos so we can catch our breath at the top of the hills.
Not only are there pretty cows and sunsets, there are running people. Of all the different shapes of people you can see, running people may be the nicest shaped of all. If we have to share our place with other people, at least they are pretty ones.
And of course, there is the historic mansion and the sprawling fields that surround it. Puck and I are fortunate to have such a nice place to walk, and as excited as I am to move to the farm house, I will regret leaving our walking place behind.
Don't be fooled by those stubby little legs, Puck walks so fast he shows up blurry in my photos!
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