Spoiled
My dog, Rosie, is very sweet, calm and easy to take care of, however, as she’s gotten older she has become extremely strong-willed during walks. Often we’ll be walking around town, and when I change direction to cross a street, or turn a corner, if that’s not the direction she wants to go she’ll plant her paws and refuse to move. Passersby think it’s adorable. I only sometimes agree. Once she plants her paws, I’ll typically either need to gently pull her forward, or if I have the time, yield to her demands and go whatever direction she is least stubborn about.
My neighbor used to watch Rosie for me while I was at work, and similar to how grandchildren get spoiled when they visit their grandparents’ house, Rosie gets spoiled at my neighbor’s—lots of walks, new toys, dog massages, home-cooked meals and regular trips to the pet store for treats.
For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why Rosie was happy to walk in some directions and not others, so one day I tried an experiment—I just let her lead. And I paid attention to which turns she’s unwilling to make and which turns she’s excited to make. And she led me on a direct route to… the pet store. I belly laughed. Now, I had never once taken her to that particular pet store. To be honest I didn’t even know where it was located until that moment. But, thanks to my neighbor’s pampering, Rosie knew exactly where it was. Unfortunately, she hadn’t learned their hours of operation and we were met with a closed sign. But don’t worry, I took her back. It turns out, they had a bag of treats in the back labeled “for Rosie.” Spoiled.
"Without my dog my wallet would be full, my house would be clean, but my heart would be empty."
-Unknown
Note: this photo is of a random dog in Nepal. It just seemed fitting considering this week's topic.
