To Ponder: Should Dumbasses Be Allowed to Own Dogs?

Driving to the grocery store today, I saw two puppies cross the road in front of me (speed limit: 50) and start romping in some tall grass. I pulled into a side road and, seeing me, the puppies dashed across the street--ignoring traffic--and started jumping up on me. 

There was a man at his house, fixing a tractor nearby. 

"Excuse me, sir?" I called. "Are these your dogs?"

"Ay-huh."

"Okay, I just saw them cross the road and wanted to make sure they weren't lost."

He chuckled. "Nope." He slapped his legs and the puppies went running to him.

When I got home from the store, these two friendly beasts trotted up to greet me and tried to nudge their way into the house. They were panting, so I gave them water and a little dog food I keep on hand for strays. I've tangled with that beige one before. I'm pretty sure the dogs belong to people nearby, maybe in the apartment complex behind us. But it galls me to no end to see dogs running up and down streets. Who knows who could grab them or what happens if a driver not paying attention comes along?

BTW, these two dogs are now conked out asleep in the shade of my front porch.

What's an animal lover to do? 

BRENDA FOUND A HOME!

Brenda playing with her new doggy sisterAfter Brenda appeared on WFMY news on Friday morning, she had 2-3 families calling about adopting her. A member of our APSRC group and the Humane Society of Rockingham County performed background checks and on Saturday Brenda went to live in her new forever home. She has two doggy sisters, a dachshund and the dog you see below. She's got a yard and toys and lots of love. For a dog that was literally minutes from being put down not once but twice, it's absolutely amazing to know she's now got a full life 

I have to say a special thanks to Tom Haizlip who was the one to suggest sending Brenda's story to WFMY and took a real interest in seeing her adopted. Also, Al and Faith Walker with the APSRC were tireless in their efforts to get Brenda a home. And a huge thanks to Ed Matthews of WFMY who is, quite possibly, the nicest man on the planet. 

Brenda has a home! This is a very, very, very good day. 

First Race Since Boston

MadMayo RunnersToday was the 15th Annual 5K race in Kernersville. The race holds a special place in my heart as it was the very first race I ever ran, four years ago. That being said, I spent most of the 3.1 miles contemplating the fact that I hate running 5K's. 

I'm not fast. Or rather, I'm not good at being fast. I say this and I mean it: I would rather run a marathon than a 5K. Short races are all about sucking it up and going at it as hard as you can. They hurt. They break me, physically and mentally. I walked 3 times in this race. Three times in 3.1 miles! The first two times I'll chalk up to mental weakness. I was tired and my legs and lungs were on fire because I was running probably faster than I was trained for. But I could have kept going. The third time galls me. Right at the end of the course, with less than the .1 to go -- on a downhill to add insult to injury -- I developed a serious stitch in my right side. It hurt to run and hurt to breathe. I jogged it in, but nothing like the flying finish I had been anticipating, where I'd make up lost time from my brief earlier walk breaks. 

All that whining aside, I had a good race! I PR'd with a time of 22:30, beating my last year's time at the same race by 34 seconds. The weather was absolutely stunning and what makes this race a favorite of mine is the chance to see so many friends who also run it. Most people I spoke to PR'd and several MadMayo runners brought home some hardware. I pulled second in my age group, 10 seconds behind the first place woman. (Am I gnashing my teeth over the fact I could have won my age if I hadn't been such a little wussy and walked so much? If you have to ask the question, you don't know me at all.)

Blair ran the race as well and had an excellent run. I told MadMayo Runners toting their hardware!him I was proud of him and he said, "Well, I'm happy that me having a good run makes me more--"

"Desirable as a companion?" I interjected, grinning.

He laughed. "Yes, exactly." 

Great job today to Josh, Jack, Iris, Nathan, Pat, Carlos, Kay, Mindy, Christine, Pam, John, Will, Thad, Shana and, of course, Blair!

Voice Control = FAIL

Grabbed my iPhone this morning and decided I'd be cool and use the voice control option to call my best friend. 

"Call Trisha Emish," I instructed into the mic.

"Finding Genesis music," agreed the female voice. I Can't Dance started blaring out of my iPhone.

I tried again. "Call TRISHA," I said. 

"Shuffle Genesis," said the woman. I was treated to a version of There Must Be Some Misunderstanding.

"Trisha," I insisted. "CALL TRISHA."

"Shuffle," said she who will not be budged. 

I couldn't figure out how to turn off the music and just place the call myself. I finally put the phone into sleep mode and started over. 

 Either I need to work on my enunciation or my friends need to acquire easier names to recognize.