Walking with Dogs

I've lived in my house a little over a year, and I walk around my neighborhood a lot. I would guess that I've traveled a few hundred miles on these streets on foot. I tend to be out and about pretty early, so I don't see a large number of people on my walks. But I do run into a few, and sometimes I encounter some of the same people from week to week. I'll try to make eye contact, maybe nod and smile or say "hello" or "good morning." Occasionally I'll get a greeting in return, but most of the time the other walkers don't acknowledge me at all.

I have noticed a difference, though, when I walk with a dog. I don't have any pets of my own, but I pet-sit for family and have friends who occasionally bring their dogs along on our walks. It's funny, but when I'm walking with a dog, the other walkers are suddenly friendlier and more talkative. One day recently, a friend came over with her dog, and we set off for a walk around my neighborhood. As we walked and talked, we passed a neighbor I'd never met before who was in her front yard. She stopped us and asked the dog's name (it was Gracie), and began petting the dog. She then asked us to wait a moment while she went inside to get a treat for Gracie. I turned to my friend, a little stunned. My friend thought I must live in a friendly neighborhood, and I had to burst her bubble. "No one here ever talks to me," I muttered as the woman returned. She introduced herself and asked our names, promising to remember us if we walked by again. I think that was the only time I spoke to a neighbor in the prior 6 months.

The same thing happens when I'm out walking with my parents and their dogs. We get extra attention because one is a Dalmatian, so he's pretty noticeable. He is, in fact, quite popular with children in particular, who often began the interaction by saying, "Mom, look! It's the dog like from the movie, the dal...what's it called again?" They may struggle with the name, but they remember the spotted dog, and are especially eager to pet him and talk to him while the parents engage us in conversation. (And meanwhile my parents' other dog looks on impatiently, being completely ignored until someone finally notices her and asks, "Oh, your other dog - she's nice too.")

I've decided that somehow walking with a dog makes people seem less threatening and more approachable. It's rare that strangers speak to me when I walk along, but once I step out with a dog by my side, people are suddenly friendlier and more willing to smile and say hello. I mean, who doesn't love a furry, happy pooch? It's not that I mind being mostly ignored when I'm walking by myself - and in fact, I often enjoy the solitude. But it is nice to occasionally be reminded that there are other people around, even if they aren't attracted so much by my sunny personality as by the 4-legged companion by my side.