“That’s it,” I barked. “I don’t care how old you are, you’re going back on the Gentle Leader until you learn how to walk like a lady.” “Oh no, really?” my wife said. “Oh yeah,” I answered. “It’s time she finally starts acting like a civilized mongrel.” Harumph! The lady, of course, is a dog — my dog. A wonderful dog, by most accounts, but one who often treats a walk as an opportunity to see if she can pop my arm out of socket. Not every walk. Many are nice, quiet strolls where she leisurely sniffs and befouls the neighborhood like a good animal. But others are epic struggles when it looks more like a man being dragged down the street by a miniature ox. So much strength for a dog who only weighs 31 pounds … wet. “You’re an old lady,” I explained to her that day during one of our many time-outs. “When are you going to start acting like it?” She just sat there staring at me. Her eyes had glossed over and she was panting so ferociously that I feared her tongue might snap off and flop about like a fish. She gets that way when not enough oxygen is reaching the brain. Chase, my dog, is no young pup. By our estimation she’s going on 14, which would be 98 in people years if you believe such things. But you would never know it by the spring in her step, her youthful exuberance, or how … Continue reading An Old Dog In Need of One More Trick