Katie and I had an adventure today.  She’s not sure if it was an excellent adventure.  But it was an adventure none the less.

The Michigan Humane Society has a dog megawalk each year as a fundraiser.  This year they had part of it at my favorite park, and my employer put together a team.  So there was no excuse not to go.

But of course Katie doesn’t really like lots of people and noise and lots of strange dogs.  And I was decidedly worried about how hundreds of dogs would behave together.  And how their owners would control them.  And how she’d react to noise and confusion.  I decided if she was really uncomfortable we’d just go home.

We had to walk a long way from the parking lot to registration, along with lots of other people and barking dogs.  Katie didn’t think this was the kind of “park” and “walk” that she had been expecting…but she marched right along, checking in with me from time to time, stopping to sniff a tree, but mostly she was with me as we moved toward registration.  But as we got close to the field filled with hundreds of dogs and their people she began to lag behind.  Then she just stopped.

We discussed it for a bit, then she asked to be picked up and I indulged.  I wanted to find our team and let them know we were going home early.  As I looked for my team members we met Titan, a sheltie who had been groomed into a ‘lion cut’ and was growing out his coat.  He was not interested in Katie and she didn’t want to sit near him either.

But I never did find my team until just before the walk started.  And by then she was settled into the whole chaos thing, her ears were back up, she was letting some people pet her, and she was accepting treats.  So I knew she was OK.

Once we got moving she was a happy camper.  She walked most of the walk next to her new best friend Sampson, a 4 month owned pitt bull owned by a coworker.

We didn’t do the whole walk, it was two miles and she was lagging after awhile, as was the puppy and another dog on our team.  But we probably did a mile and a half.  We even met another sheltie named Katie!

I was very proud of the way Katie handled the noise, the dogs, the people, and the walking.  But I think it was equally important that I read her and didn’t make her do the whole thing.   And that I was ready to go home if she didn’t adjust.  I know her, and I know it takes her about an hour to settle into a new place, so I’m pleased to see she still has coping skills.    We’re registered for a rally trial in about 3 weeks, in a new building.  So I am reminded that I will need to get there early and let her adjust.

I think she’s asleep now.  It was a very big day.  And I probably owe her a real walk her regular park tomorrow.  I’m pretty sure she will demand it.