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Belonging to the Dog People: A Heeling Story
Heel: to walk directly next to, instead of behind or before. A learned patience and pacing to virtuous companions.
Heal: to become sound or healthy again.
I live on a secluded street near a cul-de-sac. No one comes down this way unless they intend to, or they are lost. That said, there’s quite a lot of activity on this street. It alarmed me at first, seeing the walkers.
There’s some snooty ladies who gab and use hand weights on their morning stroll. There’s Bo, the Standard Schnauzer who takes his owner on a long leash along the creek to peer at the neighboring golf course twice a day. And Bud, the aging Shih-Tzu who parades his owner out a few times daily, careful to avoid Hudson, the uppity Poochon who runs with the family of six down the street.
These were peripheral, mild annoyances and distractions out my bungalow window, that is, until Ruthie.
As part of my healing from a toxic first marriage, in which my ex conveyed I was “incapable of putting others’ needs ahead of my own,” caring for children and plants aside, Therapist Pat and I decided a dog would be good.
The decision was mine, but Therapist Pat’s hearty endorsement came in what I can only imagine sounded like this in her head, “Jesus lady, get a damn dog if it means you’re going…
