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Community Corner

The Waiting Game

For dogs and their owners, a routine walk has become a dreaded ordeal this winter, with much sniffing and little to show for it.

On this Valentine’s Day, it saddens me to report that the bonds of affection between dogs and their owners have been badly frayed by this winter. You can see it in the tense faces of both humans and canines as they make their tortured way through the narrow trenches of Pelham’s snow-banked sidewalks.

For the two-legged members of these expeditions, the routine chore of walking the dog has turned into a protracted guessing game of trying to figure out how long it is going to take for their pooches to go to the potty. For the four-legged members, the daily or nightly walks have become frustrating searches for the right combination of clear terrain and interesting odors that says “bathroom” to a dog.

The problem, of course, is the deep snow that still blankets Pelham despite several days of a welcome February thaw. Those magic spots that all dogowners know—the surefire patch of grass where they can count on their dogs to do the right thing—remain buried. And until a few days ago, most sidewalks were still icy from the January storm that deposited freezing sleet on top of the snow. Both dogs and humans spend much of their perambulations concentrating on staying upright.

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I speak from personal experience. In the current canine crisis of crossed legs and bursting bladders, our red poodle, Daisy, is Exhibit A. One recent night, when the temperature was heading for the single digits, she picked her way carefully along the icy sidewalks, stopping occasionally to sniff at the snow. How can snow have a scent? I asked myself, but I wasn’t about to belabor the point if the sniffing led to a happy outcome.

Each time, I waited patiently, trying not to let my hopes get the better of me. Each time, she moved on. After about 30 minutes, we returned home, frozen to the bone, my supply of plastic bags intact. Mission definitely not accomplished.

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Letting her out in the backyard hasn’t helped much. Although she loves to run through fresh powder, the recent crust of ice has thrown her. When she sets foot – make that paw – on the snow, the ice might be thick enough to support her for a moment, but then it gives way and her legs plunge through the crust. It rattles her. And a rattled dog is a non-performing dog.

Mind you, she isn’t the only one. I’ve heard similar tales of tail-dragging from other dog owners. A friend who has two small dogs says they can’t even climb up on the snow because it looms over their heads. Another has resorted to late-night, off-leash runs in a nearby park to get the juices flowing—the dog’s, that is.

So for this Valentine’s Day, I suggest the best thing you can give your dog during your regular walk is the gift of patience. Consider it from the dog’s point of view. It’s embarrassing enough to have to perform out in public, let alone when it’s freezing and your claws can’t get a grip on the ice.

And the best thing a dog can give its owner? Well, it’s not exactly a gift, but it would at least put that waiting plastic bag to good use.

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