Suffering The Benz

It’s great having a dog again.

Since Sunny, our great Pyrenees rescue, joined the family about 6 months ago, I’ve realized how much I missed having a dog, especially the morning walks. I bolt out of bed at 6:30 pretty much every morning; Sunny lumbers out of the bedroom about 30-60 minutes later and goes immediately to the front door, ready to walk.

Sunny pauses to admire the morning during her walk.

The stroll usually takes about an hour and covers a wide swatch of Athens’ near east side neighborhood, culminating with a walk along the Hocking River. Sometimes Sunny needs to take a break, so she lies down in the first place that looks comfortable.

Sunny takes a break during her morning walk.

This morning, Sunny and I parked ourselves on a bench behind the Athens Public Library to rest. While we were minding our own business, three deer scurried across the field, which brought Sunny instantly back to life. We had to go investigate the scent trail and ensure the deer were behaving.

Sunny watches deer dash across the field behind the Athens Library.

The results of these morning rambles  can be seen in my iPhone pedometer. My walking trails off after Ozzy died in November. But it ramps up again in April and has been going strong since. We average about 5k steps on the morning walk, and most days Sunny and I hit 10k.

Sunny also is getting better from a social perspective. She bonded quickly with my niece and nephew when they visited earlier this month, and even Sydney the Cockatoo from Hell has come to accept her.

Sunny with my nephew Milam. She’s getting better about warming up to people she doesn’t know.

Even Sydney is coming to terms with Sunny. They’re getting along pretty well these days.

Perhaps most importantly, Sunny has found our bed. She crashes there every morning now after the walk. She’s definitely making herself at home …