Some days it's easier than others to put one paw in front of the other

May 27, 2009 -

I arrived at work today to find a coupler sitting on my desk. You know, a coupler - those funny looking nylon extenders that attach to your leashes and are supposed to empower you with the sudden ability to easily walk two dogs at once. The coupler was left there by a well-intentioned co-worker who's seen me walk Ollie and Honey Pie and who no longer needed it because her own pups refused to pee within the close proximity to each other the coupler forced.

Cat, the canine members of the Brat Pack, and this nifty little contraption - it seems a natural fit.  I imagine my co-worker thinking when she unearthed the retired coupler from her hallway closet. Her actual thought process was most likely something along the lines of, "Anything's better than what Cat's got going on now." Too true. 

Walking both of my dogs most often requires me to completely let go of my dignity. The whole event is a comedy of errors made up of one part over-confident dog (Ollie), one sometimes fearful, low-rider dog (Honey Pie) and one part Retractable Lead Ninja (that would be me). I know, I know - every trainer, both professional and what I lovingly refer to as "dog park specialist," has warned me about the dangers of the retractable lead.

"It teaches them to pull!" "The physics of the thing, it's all wrong!" "Did you read the rope burn warning?" (That last question was courtesy of my mother.) I've heard it all. Yet I always return to the retractable lead when it comes to getting my dogs to put one paw in front of the other and sniff the occasional tree or patch of grass. It works for me - and by 'works for me,' I of course mean that it lets out 50 feet or more without me being pulled in directions I never intended to head in.

A simple walk in a multi-dog household can be a trying event. I don't know what sort of effect the coupler will have on my outings, but I'm looking forward finding out (I think). Ever hopeful, I somehow imagine the coupler being able to even out Ollie's tendency to lead to the pack with Honey Pie's desire to be ten feet behind it.

That's a lot of pressure for two adjustable pieces of nylon.

We'll see if the coupler can live up to all of my hopes and dreams for my dogs. As soon as I build up the confidence to actually take it home and try it out that is.

--Cat