What I Learned On My Morning Walk
Every morning, I take our two dogs for a walk. Each has their own retractable leash, and I adjust the length based on where we are. I’m sure anyone watching us finds it hilarious as they crisscross back and forth, causing me to switch their leashes between hands. Sometimes, one gets behind me, and I end up tangled, having to turn around or step over a leash to get untangled again.
My husband thought it would be helpful if we had a double leash. That meant there would be just one handle for me to manage, but the leash would have 2 attachments for the dog collars. In theory, it was a great idea. In practice, not so much.
Stella (on the left) is 8 years old and Jax (on the right) is 3 years old. Their stamina and energy levels are quite different. Most of the time Jax was dragging poor Stella along. You can see she looks exhausted here, and Jax looks like he’s just waiting for her to catch her breath before he takes off again. Jax was interested in sniffing out every squirrel and lizard, while Stella was so not interested; she’s seen them all before. But they’re still new to Jax, since he’s only been with us 2 months, and he still gets quite excited when he spots another living creature.
I only used the double leash twice before I knew for certain it just wasn’t a fit for us. So back to the twirling and tangling and leash-hand-switching it was for me, but Stella and Jax are much happier. And I am too, really. Now I can relax and just enjoy the solitude of the morning as we walk. We walk early so there are rarely any cars on the road. We hear the crunch of gravel as we walk, birds chirping, and the occasional clucking of chickens.
It’s interesting how your mind can wander in those quiet moments, just watching your dogs walk ahead of you.
Seeing them side by side reminds me of how we all need each other in this world.
Watching them split apart, each one looking at something different, reminds me that we all have unique interests.
Even seeing Stella exhausted and Jax ready to drag her along reminds me that we all have different energy levels, ambitions, and goals.
But the thing that I love the most about watching Stella and Jax on their morning walk is that they always end up side by side as they turn into our driveway when we arrive home.
So dumping the double leash worked out in more ways than one. Stella and Jax are happier, and I am too, in several ways.
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You must be very, very careful when the leashes are tangled around your legs!!! My granddaughter had her dogs, each on their own lease, tangle her legs and while she was trying to undo they brought her down on the ground. She broke both legs, had to have surgery to fix one and in double casts and a wheelchair for 2 months. Now she walks them one at a time. Says it doubled her exercise too!
Oh, dear! I would probably walk them one at a time after that too! I’ll be careful, I promise!