A Busy Saturday at the Kennels
On Saturday, at work, I exercised nearly a hundred and twenty (120) dogs in the space of four and a half hours. I don't think I've worked that hard or quickly for nearly a year, the last time the kennels was so busy. My pedometer app showed nearly twelve thousand five hundred (12 500) steps when I got home from, work, which is not bad going at all. (Usually it shows about eight thousand steps for a Saturday.)
While I seldom encounter a dog I don't like, there were a few nasty ones, including an aggressive pitbull (generally very sweet-natured dogs, despite their reputation) and a Staffordshire Terrier that rushed a gate to pick a fight with a golden retriever and its friends ending up with a big gash the back of its head behind its ears before the other staff and I could pull them apart. On the other hand, I got to play with Labrador puppies, a lot of sweet, silly little Daxies and a pug that blew spit bubbles.
One of my favourite dogs was also there: A Husky/Swiss Shepard cross with the gentlest, most docile and reserved temperament I have encountered in a big dog (and I'm no stranger to Great Danes and placid Rottweilers). I could very happily spend hours scratching it behind the ears, hugging it and reassuring it that everything's going to be OK (but I don't have that luxury). I think it's in mourning for the owner's husband, who passed away from terminal cancer, rather quickly after diagnosis. It strikes me as the type to.
On my way home, I stopped in at the local farm stall and bought myself a big, fat, juicy and steaming lamb pie. It cost me just under a third of my earnings for the week. It was definitely an extravagant thing to do, but I've only eaten meat once this week and I woke up with terrible muscle cramps at about 03:00 this morning. (I haven't had much sleep since then. I'm also going to get some magnesium tablets from the pharmacy.) Besides, I'm going to be working on Christmas day, with even more dogs, and am hoping I'll be paid a little extra. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my favourite animals, rather than being home alone.
Image: Photo of an American Pitbull, by a photographer whose name I can't remember, from/on Pexels