Dexter

I think my exact words were, "I love Dexter, but I probably wouldn't have gotten him if I had to do it all over again." Ever hear people say this about their children? I do. It seems like, sometimes, constantly and those conversations always leave me feeling heavy-hearted. When I heard myself say that about Dexter I knew I needed to do something special with him today. I had already taken him for a 2 mile walk this morning and after lunch I decided a bike ride was in order.

Dexter loves bike rides. I think he loves the constantly changing scenery, the wind blowing new smells up his nose and giving someone that gets too close a good talking to the best. Before we became bike commuters and riding our bikes was just a weekend activity, Dexter used to cry and cry if we went for a bike ride without him.

We rode down to Sellwood. It was beautiful. We took a walk, I took a picture of a duck, we sat on the park bench and I petted him gently. After about a half an hour I loaded him back up on the bike, all harnessed in, and we took off.

This is when, I am not joking here, a dog runs up and bites me right on the calf as we pedal away. "Maaagie, yer gunna git hert!," the owner drawls. No "I'm sorry my dog bit you" or "Are you okay?" I almost start to cry and pedal as quickly as I can to get away from the maniac dog. "Dogs," I mutter under my breath after saying a few choice curse words and I think wistfully of my wonderful cat who woke me up this morning so sweetly with her purring. I wonder what Dexter was thinking as that dog was biting me. I was too distracted to notice if he was barking.

The rest of the ride home was peaceful and unhurried. You can't really hurry with a 17-lb dog on the back of your bike. I tried to get a good shot of Dexter behind me while I was riding but was unsuccessful. As I write this, Dexter is happily sacked out on his dog bed, sound asleep. It seems like my calf is going to be fine, no permanent damage done. They all can't be perfect rides, but I feel better about my dog and my decision to have him in my life. I guess you can't ask for more than that.