Another business trip separated Chloe and I from our morning walks this week. No doubt, we both missed our daily jaunt to the park and trails, but I had an interesting opportunity to observe dog walking in a large city during this trip, which can be quite different from our southwest urban setting.
I say different because of the issues that cities add to dog walking logistics such as the constant car traffic, the congestion of people as they move along the sidewalks, the added grime and dirt, and the increase of odors (especially at a dog's sensory level), that arise from the compression of all these elements.
The people that I observed, had to keep their dogs close at hand or risk a confrontation with other pedestrians as they brushed by. Certainly not an easy task if the dog is hyper, or is timid from the multiplicity of events that are constantly going on at a city street.
Personally, I think city dogs miss out on the benefits of a balanced environment when they are only confined to the hard landscape of city sidewalks, continual street crossings, and the ever-present building shadows that block out the sunlight.
Maybe these dogs get used to their harsh urban surroundings over time, but I think Chloe would agree with me, that our Albuquerque form of urbanism is pretty close to perfect. We have parks of green grass, trails that are filled with rabbits for the chase, and plenty of that high desert sunshine.
Maybe these dogs get used to their harsh urban surroundings over time, but I think Chloe would agree with me, that our Albuquerque form of urbanism is pretty close to perfect. We have parks of green grass, trails that are filled with rabbits for the chase, and plenty of that high desert sunshine.
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| Urban dog walking. |
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