Sunday, August 9, 2015

The Down Side of Memorial Park

Memorial Park has become one of our most favorite walking places. This is the place where we showed you the video of Henry tip toeing over a slatted bridge. It is a longish 7/10 of a mile trek. But it gives us the option of 3 choices of paths. We can cross the bridge and go the right. We can cross the bridge and go to the left. Or we can not cross the bridge and do the entire loop. It has pretty good shade, large side walks, heavy on the nature and is low on the mosquito population. So for these reasons, this park is at the top of our list.

HOWEVER! There is one super down side to Memorial. And no, it's not the bridge or the excessive amount of duck poop we often have to dodge. It's the fact that there is a Chinese restaurant near by. The yummy smell of this place derails Henry like no other scent has ever derailed him before. This has limited us to the only walking to the right side portion of the path unless we have an excessive amount of time to work Henry past the wonderfully smelling portion of the path. The extra hard part about this is that Henry doesn't just stand there, nose in the air sniffing and enjoying. He literally has attempted to drag us to the smell. Mind you, the Chinese place is located across the street, across a ravine and then you are only at the back of the strip mall where the restaurant is. Henry, unable to see (and obviously sans logic anyway) has no idea about all of these obstacles preventing him from getting to the source of the tasty aroma! All's he wants to do is walk closer to the smell.

You can see in the photo how close Henry has pulled us to the street. While it is not exactly clear in the photo, there are 2 rows of trees. Between those tree lines is a deep canal. Then on the far side of the trees you can see the back of the strip mall. (It like a tan or light peach color.) Where Henry is is about 10 feet from the street and I am standing along the edge of the path while he is extended to the capacity of leash (16 feet). The "fight" that ensues from this point until the path turns (about 200 yards) is the epitome of frustration. Henry's only desire is to keep heading in the direction of the food. My only desire is to get passed the smell of the food in the most reasonably compromising time possible. And this often requires me to pick him up and tote him to the next leg of the path.

I am sharing this to make good on what would otherwise would have been an idle threat. I told Henry the last time he didn't want to go in the right direction that I was going to tell his fans on him! I told him, his buddies at OBP would not want to hear about him putting on his stubborn sniffy pants and not getting on board to finish his walk! I warned him that all his friends would say the same thing his peeps were saying, "ok, Henry. You can smell for a little while but then we have to walk. And you walk and smell at the same time. And that also means not walking into the street. It is for your own safety. We can stop and smell while you get some water but then you need to get back on track. " But you know what?! He did not listen! It's like he was giving us all the chin! (You know the chin, right? It's that chin flick that comes with an attitude behind that says "Hey, I don't have to listen to you!") So, rather than not follow through on my threat to him, I did it! I told on him! Henry is a good boy....MOST OF THE TIME. And then there are days like these! I know. I know. He can't resist. Oh, poor blind, deaf, one kidney Henry. C'mon now. He's got us wrapped around his paw. He knows better. Now is the time for you all to chime in and give him his what for!!!

So, this griping is all in good fun but seriously, he does take FOR-EV-ER to get past that special spot on the walk where he just gets caught up in the mouth watering odor. It is seriously, the down side of Memorial Park. #HenryLovesMooGooGaiPan #HenryCanSmellFriedRiceAMileAway #BenjaminBequeathedHisSnifferToHank