Street food

Street food is very in right now. I mean, it's always been in...but now it is in vogue, if you will.

You and I have to seek out street food, and then pay for it. Not Bela.
During our walks, she has her fair share of treats, at absolutely no cost.

In the past (and without the nose of a dog), I had never noticed an abundance of fare for the taking. But oh...are there things to be had.

Bread. Bread is a big one. Lots of buns, rolls, and the like. Pizza. Partial pieces, tossed aside. A stray chip, fallen from the bag. Chicken bones. Damn chicken bones. 

I don't know about you, but I have never in my life been walking down the side walk, eating, and decided that a)I didn't want the rest of my food (I'm too frugal and stubborn for that) or b)that in this case, I would or should TOSS THE REMAINDER OF MY FOOD ON THE SIDEWALK BEHIND ME.

Who are these people doing this? Not only are they obviously wasteful, but environmentally disrespectful, to boot! And dangerous! They are orchestrating dangerous little dances, between dog owners and dogs, wherein the owner must pry the foreign object their dog's mouth, in case it is something harmful.

And while I named the most commonly found food items above, there have been some items of note as well. An entire McDonald's Sausage McMuffin. An entire Reese's Peanut Butter Cup! Now, have the morons who tossed these items aside ever TASTED these items? They're fantastic!

I know that gum is often found on the ground, and I may have even spat out a piece or two in my own lifetime, but...never on the sidewalk. The street, or better yet - the sewer.
But some people like to spit their gum in the grass, next to their granola bar wrappers. (At least they ate the moderately healthy and most likely delicious granola bar.)

Yesterday, after arriving back home after an outing at the park, Bela lay down to rest. And on her underbelly was a matted piece of mint gum.

I guess I should look at the bright side of it. That gum would have really freshened her breath after the Cool Ranch Dorito she had on the way to the park.

On Treats

Doggie boutiques, i.e., pet supply stores, abound these days, and within them lies a vast assortment of dog 'treats'.

Before Bela, I assumed the category of dog treats involved mainly hard bone-shaped biscuits and soft, chewy beef-like strips of....beef?

Well. Let me tell you -- there is so much more to be had.

We use these treats for times when we need her to be heavily distracted, mainly when we dine outside at a place where dogs are allowed to accompany patrons.

In order to be sure we always have something on hand, Mike and I enter these stores nearly whenever we come across them, determined to pick up just an item or two. But then Bela walks around, checking out (licking) so many items that we feel compelled to get her an assortment of things.

Last week, while we were standing at the spice rack-like object featuring various treats, Mike exclaimed,
"Lamb ears, pig hearts...it's like we're witches or something!"

The array of animal parts available for purchase is truly astounding. Duck feet, beef tendons and cow hooves are up for grabs. And one of her faves - the bully stick - I have come to find out...is...bull penis.

That's right; while Mike and I sit down to a meal al fresco, we let our little girl chew on a bull penis at our feet. Hey...it works.

Bela at the beach.

Reservoir Dog

I can't track the exact time that Bela's new reserve habit kicked in. I only know that I do not have peace with it.

When we first got her, I recall leaving the house, watching her rather purposefully trot to a spot and let it all out. She'd settle into her squat and take care of business.

Now, when we exit the house, she has a sniff around, finds an appropriate spot, squats...and then....sprinkles the ground. Just a sprinkle.
The amount released is not related to how badly she has to go or how much she has in the bladder. It is a procedure, a careful calculationing, an estimation.
'Let's see...if I need roughly an ounce a block up (for the spot where that damned St. Bernard continually pees), and then about 1/2 an ounce 2 blocks west (for that annoying Chihuahua)...and then approximately 2 more ounces for the remainder of this walk (if it is to be sufficiently long)..then right now...I'll need to...let out...eh...yeah...about 3/4 of an ounce.'
She hovers momentarily and then pops right back up. 
(She does occasionally miscalculate and end up in a hover, bladder nothing left to give. I always project embarrassment onto her in these situations, but I'm pretty sure she feels nothing like that.)

I do find the new behavior humorous - but frustrating all the same. Because I never know - when we're heading in...if she has actually emptied herself.
If she only encountered 2 of the 5 sweet spots her body required, then she saved the rest for a rainy day.
There is nothing to be done, however.
So before I leave, I go to the bathroom. I, myself, do not hold onto a thing -- for public restrooms do not abound for me, as they do for her.