Darby (not O'Gill)*


Coming down the stairs, I saw a familiar white and ginger dog down by the gate. Completely delighted, I walked out the door and smiling at her person and almost squealing, I said, "Can I please say hi to my friend?"

She looked sort of confused, but said, "of course," and I knelt to talk to Darby and ask her how her day had been going. I then registered the humans present second, as I often do, and told her I was a friend of her upstairs neighbor and that Darby and I are buddies. "Oh yes," she said, "we met one time, I remember."

Over the course of conversation, I asked if I could take Darby for a walk, explaining that I'm sort of a dog too and have to take myself on walks twice a day. Even better if I have a dog friend with me!

And so Darby and I walked to and around and through the local park, learning quickly one another's walking styles and learning to compromise on one that was comfortable for us both.

Darby isn't actually a client, she's a friend. And it's complicated when a lot of your friends are dogs, as I had explained to another client of mine recently. "It can be tricky when your friends are dogs," I told her, "you can't just pop by someone's house and be like, 'hi! I'm here to hang out with your dog!'"

To get time to spend one on one with Darbs was a surprise and joy. Sweet, intelligent, focused, patient, stubborn - this ginger haired beauty is a gift of a friend. She's the type of dog who knows intuitively when you need a little extra love, and she's willing to offer it. What a beautiful gift!

Enjoy these wonderful pictures that her person so graciously shared with me! I give you: my friend Darby.










*see the 1959 movie featuring Sean Connery and Janet Munro for that reference.

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