Spring in our steps

Our week-long taste of summer seems to have given way to the realities of spring. But considering this is supposed to be the snowiest month of the year, I don't really mind a few days of on-again, off-again rain showers. Especially when my legs are tired. The rain (or threat of rain) gives me a good excuse to skip an evening run.

But then, right after supper last night, the rain seemed to stop, and so we decided to all head out for a walk around the block.

Some of us walked. Others skipped.

As I watched Jeff work with Gus, trying to teach him to walk nicely when all he really wanted to do was lunge forward and run with the kids...

I couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. Was it really just seven months ago that Gus was this small and the grass this green?

 

Back to the present... Gus did fairly well on our jaunt around the neighborhood. I'm sure Jeff's iron grasp of the leash, combined with a choker collar, had nothing to do with it.

 

The fat old, retriever down the block apparently has deemed Gus to be no threat. The dog, which is kept in by an invisible fence, used to terrorize Maggie, barking as it ran along the edge of its yard. But when we passed by last night, the dog didn't even raise his head from the driveway.

As we neared the home stretch, AJ finally convinced Jeff to let him try holding the leash. I think that lasted about a block before Gus figured out that AJ wasn't as strong or strict as Jeff.

One of these days I'm going to take Gus with me when I go on a shorter run. Jeff's already done it once or twice. Gus has so much energy, it'd be good for him. It'd be good for me, too.