Something about Alma

I realize that even though Alma is in the title of this blog, she is rarely included in the blog itself. Earlier this week, Alma had one of the most exciting days of her life. My husband took her for the morning walk, about 6:30 am. The day was rainy and the sidewalk was slippery with leaves. As she walked along, a squirrel dropped from a tree and fell in front of her. This is a dog's dream situation. She didn't have to track it, or chase it, it was just there. So, she nipped at it, and probably a bit of jaw made contact. The squirrel got away and ran up the nearest tree. It didn't appear to be injured. For the rest of the walk, she was constantly looking up at the trees. She was the picture of dog confidence and pride.

That afternoon, Alma and I went for another walk. In the distance, we saw a lady walking toward us pushing a stroller. When she approached us, I realized that the baby in the stroller was actually a dog! It was Precious, a pug who lives in the next block. Precious is now blind and only walks around his own block. Precious' owner explained that her vet suggested that she get the stroller, so the dog could continue to enjoy a walk--and so could she. The stroller is made for dogs, the leg holes are filled in with netting and there is a netting window in the back of the seat. Now Alma wasn't the most sympathatic dog toward Precious' plight. Instead of gently sniffing him, she lunged toward the stroller. I had the leash tight, so she couldn't scare him. Then she sniffed him a little bit. Poor Precious. He is really a nice dog, I feel sorry for him not being able to enjoy a normal dog's life. But he does have the best of technology available to make an older dog's life pleasant, and two very loving owners.