One thing I love about weekends in Manhattan...

I love Manhattan's trails!  Ryan and I enjoy taking the dogs to the spillway, then walking them on the 1-mile loop next to the picnic area.  When we started dating, Ryan took me to the trail, and told me he called them "Hougie's Trail" because he ran them so much.  I, being naive, thought that they were actually called "Hougie's Trail..." like the city let him name the trail that or something.  Sheesh.  I was smitten--I'd believe anything he said at that point :)
Yesterday we took all 3 dogs to "Hougie's Trail."  Ryan was going to run the trail a couple of times, and take Harvey with him.  I can't run due to my dumb hip, so I was going to walk the other two (Sera and Toban).  I told Ryan that he favored Harvey, and that he should take Sera running, because she loves to run and I feel like he takes Harvey all the time.  He said he would take Sera, but asked "Are you sure you can handle Harvey?"  Yes, I said.... I can handle Harvey and Toban.  I walk the dogs more than Ryan does (I'm guessing), and I've walked Harvey many times.  Not an easy task by any means, as he weighs just about 20 pounds less than I do, but it is certainly manageable.  Ryan started off down the trail in front of me, and I started the 1-mile loop.
About 2 seconds after Ryan ran past us, Harvey started whining and throwing himself at Ryan.  He wanted to go too!! I pulled back on his choke chain, and said, "Harvey!  No!"  I got him slightly settled down, and we made it about 5 feet down the trail when Toban started "internally sneezing."  I put this in quotations because that is the official term for something that scared me half to death the first time he did it.  Anyone had a beagle before? They do this weird snorting that looks really painful.... it involves their entire abdomen.... a snorting/heaving motion that makes you think your dog is going to pass out or throw up a rabbit.  I asked my vet friend about this (after taking my beagle to the vet clinic to have "his trachea checked out". $35 dollars later they found nothing wrong with him.  I asked my vet friend about this and she just laughed.  She said that's how they sneeze.  This sounded very fishy to me, but I googled it and it's true :) I'll post a youtube video at the end to show you what I'm talking about, if you're interested.  Ha.  


So Harvey keeps whining, and Toban keeps sneezing every 5 feet (literally!!) and I am getting quite frustrated.    I am trying to keep my cool, because I did tell Ryan that I was capable of doing this.  I take a deep breath, look at the river and try to relax, and begin again.  Harvey has decided at this point to pee on every bush, sign, rock, squirrel (ha) he can.  Toban is a copy cat and has followed suit.  It would be amusing if they didn't kick up dirt after each pee.  The wind is blowing very hard, and the dust is flying in my face.  I yank them away, say "No! Let's go!!" and begin walking again.  Once again, Harvey yanks me over to a bush to pee. Toban did the same.  The wind is blowing, Toban (who is short) stands under the bush to pee, and Harvey stands right on top of him.  I screamed "NO! Harvey, NO!"  but it was too late.... Toban had his head peed on, and with the wind blowing, it blew Harvey's pee right onto my leg.  We are now probably 30 feet into our 1 mile walk.  I am certain Ryan is going to come around at any moment for his 2nd lap, and there I will be, 30 feet into the trail with a wet beagle and a peed on leg.  I suck it up, and yank the dogs along, Toban snorting and sneezing, and Harvey yanking me this way and that.


Ryan did pass me, but not for awhile.  He was at the end of his 2nd lap when I was about a 1/4 mile away from the pickup.  I noticed that Sera was nowhere in sight.  I threw Harvey's leash at him,. said "Take him!!" and started yelling out for Sera.  I thought it was odd that Ryan would let her get so far out of his sight... Ryan ran away with Harvey, and I was left with the cutest dang beagle in the world, and a bit of peace and quiet.... until the snorting started again.  I get to the end of the trail to see Ryan walking back towards me with both Harvey AND Sera.... apparently 2 minutes into their run, Sera pooped out on him.  He yelled over at me, "She isn't a 7-minute-mile dog!!!"  I said "Who is?! And why would she be? When is the last time she went running?!"  Apparently he'd put her in the back of the pickup before starting his second loop.


Yet, after all of this irritation, I love spending time with Ryan and the dogs on this trail.  Ryan even buried my cat, Milton, under a big tree on this very trail :)  Illegal?  Maybe, but with the shade of a cottonwood tree and a view of the river, we couldn't think of a better spot for him to be.  I say hi to him every time we walk past that tree :)


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1rbSj2y6RU