City Girl

Oh my goodness. I never expected it but my girl Chihuahua, Chulita has morphed into a real, honest to goodness city girl. I actually have moved to the burbs since living in the wilderness of Idaho where the dogs and I use to hike in the forest and there was no pavement around my house. They were always completely use to running on dirt, gravel, grass, pine needles, lots of snow and ice...and a little pavement sometimes and in any kind of weather almost.

But now, Chulita has really taken to side walks. When out on a walk through the neighborhood where there are mostly side walks...if there is an area where there's no side walk...just grass or dirt, she leans away from there where Jose` and I are walking and wants to be on the paved road. She leans and pulls. I keep telling her she mustn't go in the road as she might get run over. But she doesn't buy it for one minute. As soon as there's a side-walk again, she makes a bee line....she loves side-walks and seems to detest getting her princess feet dirty or wet. If there's absolutely no other choice, she's fine. But when presented with the possibility of a side walk or other paved area, she insists on walking there. So, now I have a former, tough, mountain mama-dog turned city girl. I don't know if she'll ever wear her little camouflage outfit again. I think next she's going to insist on going shopping for something more girly.

ahh she can walk with us any time..we like sidewalks too. Glad she is happy in her new world.

Thanks Smkie. They have both really adjusted very well and are enjoying their new place. We have a couple spots where they can run off leash but I really have to watch out for birds of prey and keep them pretty close.

Both of mine will prefer the pavement. I do in the summer make sure I reach down and see how hot it is before we take off. I don't let anyone run them on pavement since Logan did that once with both of mine and they came back limping. That stuff we saved for the paths. In Mary's later years, the pavement was a curse to her arthritis and we walked very little on it. But for now, my dry feet and clean shoes are as happy as their trim nails and clean paws.

Yes, if it's asphalt, it can get quite hot. In this climate here, as long as it's concrete and not asphalt, it doesn't usually get overly hot. But you're right. It's good to think about those things. And running on pavement isn't good for any of us. We will do that a little bit, but mostly save running when we go to off leash places that are grassy.

Be careful of those metal plates by electrical things. Victor got a nasty shock by one once and I read about a lady who's dog was killed. I haven't trusted them since. WE just walk around. Victor's nose was wet and sniffed the ground and leaped up and yiked, there must have been some current carried by the metal. I didnt' feel it. He was so mad he turned around and before I could catch him bit at the ground and got another.

We don't have sidewalks just the street but it is still our preferred for daily walking...it's all mud here and no one likes it.

Also Victor and Pepper will not step on some grass, you can call, you can go that way, but all your going to get is two empty collars attached to leashes while they stand there and look at you. I don't know if it is the herbicide, or what but they are adamant.

Wish we could walk together. I miss having a dog walking buddy.

:rofl1: That cracked me up!

I wish we could walk together too. That would be fun.

Yes! I heard of a couple of horror stories about dogs getting electrocuted/killed by those things. Horrible! Victor was lucky it was only a mild shock. I think I'll make a thread about that so others can be aware if they're not already.