Everything I Tell You is Hearsay

Being fond of urban hiking, I’ve wandered through a wide variety of parks, nature preserves, wildlife refuges, and riverside paths. 

Pet ownership is full of delights and complications. I discovered one of these when I tried to plan a Ladydate with Auntie Tata. I thought I was terribly clever to pick a trail on her side of town; one that would allow me to run a pesky errand all at once. Tualatin Hills Nature Park was a nice option, and I was pleased with my choice.

Luckily, I took the time to double check before I drove all the way across town; no dogs. Mert. Running a search with a filter for dog friendly options, Hoyt Arboretum popped up at the top. Though I had hiked around the park once before, it had been a long time, and wasn’t one I’d spent a lot of time exploring. 

I loaded up the doggo and headed over the river. Once I reached the park it became apparent a wedding was underway, and the weather, which had been hot, hazy, and oppressive all week, was partly cloudy and pleasant. 

I hoped the dog was keen for a long walk, but he seemed much more interested in meeting people and other dogs. Watching a well-behaved golden puppy walking the opposite direction, heeding his owner’s instructions “to me” made it clear, my degree of influence over Enzo leaves much to be desired.

While he seemed initially keen for a trek, he quickly lost interest. His less-than-thrilling-but-reasonably-effective response to this is to just plop down wherever he is and refuse to walk. While I’m perfectly capable of yarding him along, it’s – pun intended – kind of a drag.

We only managed to cover about a mile before I admitted defeat and carried him most of the way back to the car. In the meantime it was a beautiful day, which allowed him to refuse to walk in front of a grand variety of trees.

While perhaps not the most exotic or dramatic locale, it was still good practice for the puppy, and taught me a valuable lesson about vetting my destination before we set out. That, and some more formal leash training is definitely in order.