Scented or Un?

Sometimes I wonder what J thinks when we're out walking or just all the time. She's so different from me. Maybe I wonder what she feels--it's hard to explain the difference between dog understanding and people understanding.

She says things, tells me things. I hear what she says and understand a lot of it. It's the whys and why nots I don't get. It's the smells, sounds, feelings I guess. Well, I do get most of the feelings...

Dogs go by how things smell a lot. We can tell if someone is or was sick, we can tell if they're afraid, happy, upset, in love, all by how they smell. J pays attention to things but she can't smell like I can. She can't hear as well either. And, of course, she can't see.

I worry about some of that. A lot of times it's no big deal. Then, we'll be out for a busy-busy walk (potty break) and I'll know she's not smelling what I'm smelling or hearing what I'm hearing. I used to just go completely dog when we went out for that kind of walk in our own area. Then one day, while I wasn't paying attention, J got all turned around and got upset--this was a long time ago before we moved. Still, it took her days to get over that.

Now, I stay close, even when I'm sniffing--close enough to touch her if it's just us--it's almost always just us. I feel sad sometimes that she's missing out on so much around her. --And then, she'll catch me trying to scarf a chicken bone and make me drop it. I guess she gets by okay.

There was a lot of charcoal fluid in the air during our afternoon walk. Must be a holiday. You guys have a really good celebration.

I'll catch you next time.

Cosmo