Paw Partner Adventures: Wishbone

Yesterday, the yellow dog and I went to the shelter for the Paw Partner program. My plan was to pick up a shelter dog and then take both fur babies to the metro park for a long hike. When I got to the shelter, I was told there weren't any dogs available that play well with others. Bummer. The yellow dog and I headed off to the metro park anyway. It was a beautiful day for a hike and we both had a good time. We hiked almost 6 miles; much longer than allowed by the Paw Partner program.

So today, I left the yellow dog at home and headed to the shelter again. My plan was take out a larger dog, maybe Jefferson, and go for a 3 mile run. When I got there, Jefferson had already been out and they really didn't have any other "running" dogs. They asked if I would walk a smaller dog.

Of course.

Meet Wishbone.

He is an 8 or 9 year old wire-haired Jack Russell Terrier. And though the breed is right, whoever named Wishbone obviously never watched the show. (Just ask any one of my 3 older kids...)

The "real" Wishbone

But he was super sweet and so excited to go on a field trip. We walked a mile from the shelter to a nearby park. Wishbone was all decked out in patriotic colors and lead the way. It was a little strange to walk such a small dog but he was pretty good on the leash and I soon settled into his pace (which is much slower than what I'm used to). He wasn't a puller and though he preferred to take his half of the sidewalk out of the middle, he seemed to know to scooch over for other pedestrians.

As soon a we came to the park entrance, Wishbone was in heaven. He proceeded to roll all over in the grass and get all tangled in his leash. So much happy in one little dog!

The clouds were rolling in as we got to the park but it was still a nice mild day. Wishbone was very interested in the geese and we chased a few around. I figured, how often does a shelter dog get to scare geese away? He seemed to like it. I sat on a bench and thought he'd like to sniff around a bit but he just seemed to want to keep moving. So after a long belly rub and a water break, we headed back.

I obnoxiously told everyone I passed on our walk that Wishbone was a shelter dog looking for a home. He got a few pats on the head and if nothing else, raised some awareness.

We walked a total of 2.28 miles. His first mile was about a 19 minute pace. His second, around a 23 minute pace. I could tell on the way home, he was getting tired. Throw in some goose chasing, and all in all, I think Wishbone had a good time.