California Sunshine is her name. She's been a part of my life for just a little over a year and we've had some adventures together. I hope to have many more. Today I thought would not be one of them, but it was.
When I awoke this morning it was a dripping rain. Nothing too heavy, but more than a mist. By the time I actually got up and had my breakfast it had stopped. I checked the weather report and it indicated the rain would commence at 10:00. It was 9:00. I hitched Cali up to her harness, we had an hour for a walk that usually lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. All's well.
Cali moved along briskly this morning, usually she sniffs here and there more intently. I thought it might have to do with the rain and the fact that no one was out walking. Perhaps the usual canine track leavers had not passed by owing to the weather, or, it was just the wet that snuffed their tracks out. In any event, I knew we had it nailed!
When we arrived at the baseball field in the park I noticed, across the park, a large German shepherd standing next to an SUV. Then I noticed that the SUV was a sheriff's car. I must have just missed him exercising his dog on the field. I would NOT have mentioned to him about his dog being off leash. I knew he had control of his dog! Ironically, after my walk, our adventure, when I was sitting at home I heard a constant th-thump of a helicopter and went online to find out that a suspect was barricaded after he stabbed a deputy. In my watching of the news here and there, I saw video of the canine unit arriving. I knew the dog had his exercise that morning!
Cali and I trod our usual path to the top of the park. No one else was in the park until we reached the top playground where a couple and their young child were playing in the playground. We exchanged good mornings and I proceeded back down the path. I was walking on the balance beam when the rain started. Pouring, heavy steady rain. I glanced at my watch: 9:30. Last time I'd trust the weatherman.
I finished the balance beam and we continued down the path. I started to walk more quickly. This is when Cali paid attention to the liquid sunshine falling on her. She twisted on the harness, biting it, her indication that she was nervous. I turned her around and kept walking. She pulled to run away, but we would not outrun the rain! Then I realized this was the first time we had taken a walk in the rain. As a small puppy she lived a lot of her life in it last year in the backyard when we went out to potty, but it had been months since rain had touched her.
After a few steps from the course correction, Cali decided she was getting too wet. Now, a series of attempts to shake off the water. Every five steps. Stop, shake, trot, trot, trot, trot, trot, stop, shake! By this time I'd pulled on my hood and was enjoying the rhythm of the rain bouncing off. I watched it bead up on my new jacket like on a finally waxed car. Cali must have decided she was used to the wet, because her attention now turned to the puddles we were walking through.
Usually Cali walks with her nose down inhaling the scents from the ground, in search of interesting leavings (mushrooms, poop piles, kleenex). Now her tongue lashed out at the puddles, as if she could capture all the scents in liquid form. We continued our walk.
Pulling, attempting to run, biting the leash, shaking off the wet, drinking all the puddles faded into the past as we made our way down the home stretch of the our street. She strutted in the rain, a veteran now. No longer did I need to convince her that as a golden retriever she inherently loved the water. She at least could tolerate it! Another new adventure. Check! I love seeing the world in new ways through the eyes of my California Sunshine!
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