I have little knowledge or experience of dogs, let alone taking one for a walk.
However, when family members stayed with us recently, I offered my services which were readily accepted. Their dog Pippa is a 3-year-old cavoodle.
The departure from our house each day was less than ceremonious, with the dog accelerating rapidly on the leash and me struggling to keep up.
This pace barely slowed over the next 40 minutes but fortunately there were various digressions and brief pauses before momentum built again, as we some how navigated the hilly streets of Waverley.
A resident in the neighbourhood witnessed this spectacle on several occasions becoming increasingly bemused as Pippa passed rapidly and erratically by, with me struggling to hold on. He would ask the same question: "Are you leading the dog or is the dog leading you?".
Unfortunately, given the circumstances I never had the opportunity to pause and contemplate what might have been an appropriate response.
The fact this question was repeated more than once was no doubt indicative of what appeared to be, and arguably was, a lack of control on my part. A valid question indeed — who was leading who?
Any more thoughts on this quickly evaporated as Pippa’s accelerations increased and we hurtled up the steps at the end of Coolock Cres, arriving somewhat breathless at the top. Occasionally, I uttered words intending to slow progress, but usually to little avail. The dog bounded on and in some instances even increased the tempo.
My greatest dread was the approach of another dog owner keen for a moment of sociability. Although by nature a very peaceful dog, she could sometimes in close company become agitated and was capable of producing a less than friendly bark.
My daughter-in-law helpfully explained how I could deal with this by always ensuring I stood between Pippa and the other dog owner. She also said that a well-trained dog would normally walk alongside or behind its owner. Clearly there was zero prospect of me achieving that.
With this new knowledge I felt confident as another dog owner approached, slowed down and stopped. Everything initially went to plan, but when the dogs sought greater intimacy and went nose to nose, Pippa suddenly erupted with an unseemly display of barking that forced a premature end to that meeting and prompted a hasty exit.
My strategy following this in similar situations was to cross the road and avoid further such public exhibitions.
I must say though that the walks were overall most enjoyable, with the dog releasing plenty of energy and me having some good exercise.
It made me wonder too about that old saying "a dog is a man’s best friend" and what that says about the human condition. No doubt a philosopher/sociologist somewhere has pondered this in depth.
Returning to the vitally important question of who was leading who, it became an increasing realisation that in fact there was no clear leader. The dog was undoubtedly the pacemaker, but with the odd tug here and there on the leash, challenging situations could be averted or avoided.
After much contemplation I have reached a conclusion that the walks were a team effort. How good is that?
— Joss Miller is a retired Dunedin lawyer and would-be professional dog walker.
