A Walk With the Dog

Maddie is a wonderful dog---a great addition to our family. I fell in love with her when we visited a pet store at Chandler Mall almost five years ago. It was love at first sight. She is friendly, mostly obedient and fun to play with. She is a great communicator. When she wants you to do something for her--like let her out a door, get her some more food or water--etc..She is my alarm clock. When I am sleeping from working the night before, she will growl, followed by a few licks on the face to wake me up. I try to take her for a walk everyday. We have many different routes, so that it is not so boring for the two of us. We have to be careful even to say the word "walk" around her, so she doesn't get too excited. I took her for our walk today, after I got up. It was a beautiful day for a walk. As we walk around the neighborhood, she would stop every few feet, start to sniff and take a few steps and then stop again to sniff some more. The though occurs to me that it is so important for each of us in our busy lives to take the time to stop and smell the roses.