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Some of you might know my boyfriend grew up in California. This means I have to spend a lot of time defending the Midwest to him and his family. This is nearly impossible. It is hard to come up with a response to “Why do we live here again?” when it has rained for 16 days straight. Summer has not started yet and June is half over. North Dakota is not really known for its great weather. But I love the weather here. Really, I do. I grew up in Minnesota, which is basically the same as North Dakota, just add a few cities and a lake for every person. Growing up in a state where the average January temperature is 11, winter was always my favorite season. My dogs, brothers and I spent hours sledding, tackling and playing in the snow every year. But it’s not just winter I’m a fan of. There’s something about the extreme weather changes in the upper Midwest that sends me and my mutt out the door. One month Ace and I are out running in -25 degree weather, wearing so many layers that I actually sweat from overdressing. Trust me, that can only happen to a Minnesota kid. The next month I’m out running in a tank top and shorts, unable to keep cool no matter what. I love the extreme temperatures, the seasons and running my dog no matter what day it is. As for that neighbor of mine, I’d post his picture here, but that might be a little creepy since I’ve never actually talked to this guy. We have glanced at each other every now and then as our paths cross. We are both thinking, yeah, we are the only ones who do this. On day 28 of our challenge, Ace and I went for a walk in a park he’d never been to. This park is near downtown and we were there around noon when many people were walking over their lunch breaks. This was good for Ace because it was different than most parks we go to where it’s just us and maybe a few other people. The park was lively, with people coming and going, strollers, runners, dogs and squirrels everywhere. The squirrels were the most distracting for Ace. These squirrels weren’t scared of us like the ones at our usual park. They were too busy sorting garbage to care about Ace and I, so I made him sit near them. Ace was pretty good. He wore his choke collar and allowed me to bribe him with treats. I normally don’t like using a choke collar, because they are pretty worthless with him. His coat is too smooth and it slips down to the thickest part of his neck. But lately he’s been wearing it and I’ve been able to keep it high enough on his neck where it is effective. Click here to see all my 30-day challenge posts.
For our first day, Ace and I walked in a different part of the neighborhood. This was a really simple way to go somewhere new on a day when I didn’t have a lot of extra time. All we did was walk one block west of where we normally walk, and this brought us a different world - new yards, no people, new dogs and new smells. Ace walked nicely because he was wearing his backpack (filled with books) and a pinch collar. I practiced telling him to sit every time I stopped. We saw a new playground we will visit sometime soon, and also remembered an aquarium store that might allow pets inside. We’ll have to try it out. It’s funny how we get in the routine of walking the same path every day. For the past year, Ace and I have walked the same six or so different routes from my front door. There are dozens of other streets we could take, so I look forward to the rest of this challenge. Feel free to take part in this challenge. Where did you walk your dog today? Click here to see all my 30-day challenge posts. |
Today was day one of my 