Man it’s been a while since I’ve picked up a dog’s poop. I don’t miss it. A cat is so much easier, Pippin goes into his litterbox whenever he wants. I don’t have to take him outside to do his business. I appreciate that. Still, I enjoyed my time dog sitting for the past few days.
Lua, the 17 year old chihuahua is basically blind and deaf and while most of the day she sleeps, she still has an energy to her that is impressive. When I take her outside to go on a walk, she is determined as hell to get back inside to her cozy bed and blanket. Even though she’s supposed to go on two walks a day, she tries to refuse it every time. I have to pick her up and walk her far away from the condo before setting her down, otherwise she’ll refuse to move and pull as hard as she can toward the stairs to her home.
Laney, the younger mutt with the kind face, is just as strong but she loves her walks so she was always trying to pull me in whatever direction striked her fancy. She also loves eating rabbit poop so I had to stay vigilant to what she sniffed at every time we were out. She’s a sweetie though and loves pets.
So from Thursday to earlier today, I chilled and relaxed in a condo all to myself while I cared for and watched two dogs for my friend, Robyn. It was a good practice run for what it will be like when I live on my own next year.
Yesterday morning Shari picked me up and we went to the Denver Zoo with her friend, Jason. They got free tickets through work which was the best way to go because otherwise it would have been $20 per person and that seems a little high to me for a trip to the zoo. I understand that the cost helps the zoo stay in operation and supports the efforts the staff takes in working with other countries and organizations to help save endangered species, plus, inflation, but for a person like me who wasn’t sure I wanted to support a zoo, that cost would possibly stop me from going.
I am glad I got to spend a couple of hours with Shari and Jason wandering the zoo’s many paths and seeing the many animals. I’m not sure I would go again though unless I had a very specific reason – either the zoo lights, which I’ve loved in the past, or maybe to watch a certain animal or show. For each ticket costing $20, there were a lot of people, and the zoo was even doing timed entries. As I walked around, I felt bad seeing all the animals just lying around in the small enclosures. I kept thinking, “How far would this animal’s territory be if they were in the wild? Would they be lying down right now or would they be active?” I realize that part of my problem is thinking about these animals being in the wild. They can’t be in the wild. I know many of you love zoos and many of you have already tried to convince me to love them too, or at least to tolerate them more than I normally do. But you know, I think I’m still on the side of having large expanses of land for these animals in their natural habitats and countries. Or as close to their natural habitats as possible. I’m on the side of creating better rules and regulations to not allow these animals to be purchased or traded or killed by amateurs and individuals. I know that our culture has made progress on that front since the zoos from the early 1900s and that poachers may always be a problem, but I still think there may be a ways to go. And I understand that zoos are doing good work in helping endangered and at risk species to repopulate. I can’t deny that. But zoos may not be my thing. I can tell that the Denver Zoo is trying – they are working on a bigger penguin area and a couple of years ago they expanded the elephant area. I overheard someone say on my visit yesterday that the zoo doesn’t have polar bears anymore either. So I can appreciate that. And so I will shout out to those zoos doing the best that they can and I hope that by allowing the public to come visit and see these animals, people actually do support saving them. I’m just not sure that actually happens. I don’t donate money to the zoo or to any other animal saving organization and I’ve visited many zoos in my lifetime. Do you donate?
Ok, I will step off my pedestal for the moment. 😉 This morning, Shari and I walked along the Highline Canal Trail (which is right by Robyn’s condo, it’s pretty sweet) before saying goodbye to Laney and Lua and making our way home. I like that trail and I haven’t walked enough of it by any means so I was thrilled Shari was willing to walk for an hour along the tree lined path. We drove over to Mile High Comics after that to pick up comics Shari had ordered, grabbed some lunch, and then relaxed at the apartment’s pool for a bit. Needless to say I feel tired after a weekend of dogs, animals, and walking. But it was a good weekend and I will sleep well tonight. Here’s to a great upcoming week for all of us.
Just Lauren 