Friends & neighbors

Stella and I walk twice a day. One of those walks is usually outside of our neighborhood, I try to schedule it between errands or work so I'm not just burning gas to walk the dog. The second walk is through our neighborhood. Over time, like all dedicated dog walkers, we've learned where all the dogs and cats live. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would know the names and locations of so many dogs. It just isn't something I ever thought of before. About half a mile away from the house, there's a place in one of our walks that I refer to as the cat house. There's a dog that chases us every time we walk by. It comes high-balling up the driveway and out into the street with us, barking like mad. I might actually be frightened by the whole scene were it not for the fact that this dog is the size of a hamster. Stella just stops and stares. When it gets within five or six feet of us it turns and runs and I always think of an episode of the Dog Whisperer where Cesar says (I'm paraphrasing): "If these pit bulls were not well-balanced, this little dog would be an appetizer."

Regarding the photo above, I may have mentioned it once before, but when we go outside first thing in the morning, we ALL go out. It's like a little parade down the street. The pit bull, the tail-free cat and me. Gigi doesn't have a leash of course, she just chooses to follow us out and then back in again for breakfast. Occasionally, she'll get distracted by one thing or another and stop but she always catches up and comes back in for breakfast with us. I may have to get one of the neighbors to videotape it sometime. It makes that first scoop of poop in the morning a lot more tolerable.

p.s. We took possession of a mother cat and three kittens a couple of days ago. The hell they were living in was indescribable without the use of raging epithets. I'll post some pictures but meanwhile, if you all know anyone in or around Nashville who is looking for a new best friend, please don't hesitate to comment below. Me and Stella will deliver it to your door.