Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Dog walk: 3/7/12

Spring made another sneak preview in McKees Rocks today. The sun was out, and the temperature was around 60 F with a warm breeze blowing. Needless to say, the kind of day that demands a nice long walk behind a couple of basenjis.

The basenjis led the way up Churchill Street, past the abandoned houses and litter-strewn sidewalks, and around the corner to Lillian Drive, where we met a woman enjoying the weather with her terrier. She picked the terrier up as we came down the sidewalk, since her dog doesn't get along well with other dogs, but she found the basenjis adorable. Her four-year-old son was less enthusiastic, and he hid behind her until I led the dogs away.

We went downhill to Chartiers Avenue, past the post office, and then around behind the Family Dollar Store along Herbst Alley. There we happened across a woman who was getting ready to take her English bulldog puppy, Waldo, out for a walk. Waldo was overjoyed to meet some fellow dogs, wagging his little twisty tail for all he was worth. After I knelt down to pet him, he spent some time attempting to climb into my lap.

After leaving Waldo, the basenjis led the way past St. Mary's Catholic Church, then down Thompson Avenue along the tracks of the Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad to Chartiers again, and after that we all went up Island Avenue for the return trip to Churchill Street.

While walking up Cutler Street, we saw an amusing sight: a van hitched to an open trailer full of chairs was trying to back down the steep, brick-paved street. But it was the day before garbage day, and the driver, unbeknownst to himself, was trying to back over a number of garbage bags piled on the sidewalk. One had become lodged under the van, and was being dragged along underneath it. When the dogs and I turned onto Front Alley and left the van behind, the driver had given up on trying to back down the street, and was trying to drive forward again -- right through the remaining pile of garbage bags.

I freely admit, I never saw anything like that when I was walking the dogs in Newport. Only in McKees Rocks.

1 comment:

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

She picked the terrier up as we came down the sidewalk, since her dog doesn't get along well with other dogs

Terriers are aggressive little beasties!

My beloved killdeer have returned, and my delicious stinging nettles are sprouting. Spring is pretty much here.