We went to Fresh Pond today, and upon our return, Gatsby, who now manages her own Twitter account, got her second chance to walk off-leash. And it was another success, as she proudly tweeted:
OFF-LEASH AT FRESH POND FOR LIKE HALF AN HOUR, BITCHES! WINNER = @GATSBYBOSTON
Lindsay and I were able to film part of it:
It’s clear that there are certain places Gatsby flat-out loves. Fresh Pond is one of them, and she behaves incredibly well with other dogs when she’s not tethered. And then there’s just the fact that she can roll around in the leaves to her little heart’s content:
We still have a lot of work to do with leash aggression, with Gatsby getting quite nervous on-leash approaching a dog on the sidewalks near home. But it’s such a pleasure to be able to go someplace and walk for forty-five minutes with her only reactions being appropriate ones: “BUTTS! . . . MUD PUDDLE! . . . OMG SQUIRREL!”
We took the Gats to Fresh Pond again today, and she was SO. WELL. BEHAVED. There’s a long way to go before she doesn’t bark and lunge at dogs on Mass Ave., but this time at Fresh Pond she was friendly with dogs and kids alike.
So when we got home, we rewarded her with our favorite drink: a delicious martini. I think she’s got the look for such a dignified drink, don’t you?
It’s spring break at MIT, so my bosses suggested this would be a good time to take a few days off. I’m making the most of this “staycation” so far—getting up with Lindsay at our regular time, and after driving her to work, heading back to Simon’s Coffeehouse for a couple hours of reading (finally) The Good Soldier Švejk.
Yesterday, following Simon’s, I headed downtown for lunch with my friend/fmr Houghton Mifflin coworker Walter at an old favorite haunt, Flash’s. After getting all the necessary dirt on my old industry, I then went to catch up with friends at Emerson College. All-in-all, a great time—except for when my old writing center boss at Emerson, who happens to be my Orthodox godfather, asked in front of strangers “How ya feeling? In remission?” First, he and others need to understand that with Hodgkin’s, you actually get to use the word “cured,” which I am. Second, why ask that in front of the Emerson undergrad you’re in the middle of counseling? Meh, anyway…
Today I followed up reading at Simon’s by taking Gatsby to Fresh Pond. Lately she had been a little aggressive with other dogs, and we’re not sure why. I think it has to do with the confines of sidewalks, because at obedience class and in houses/apartments, she’s fine. And Fresh Pond today was no different. She sniffed butts or ignored dogs altogether—not an ounce of aggression or nerves to be found. She also walked 99% with a loose leash, while in our neighborhood—especially on Mass. Ave.—it’s 50/50 that she’ll start pulling ahead, particularly when other dogs are approaching.
Happy to say that the walk around Fresh Pond left her exhausted, which is good prep for obedience class tonight: she’ll be focused on treats and not excited enough to care about the other dogs.
And lord, has there ever been a dog with whom it’s so easy to illustrate exhaustion?
Tomorrow, day three of days off, Lindsay is taking a well-deserved day off too. We’re planning on lunch at a small, amazing Polish restaurant in South Boston—I took Lindsay there years ago after her GRE and we never forgot how great it was. And after that we’ll head over to check out the Boston Art Deco Show at the Cyclorama.
