I Swim. Suki Sleeps.

Don't get me wrong: the advantages of going everywhere with a large, attractive, white dog greatly outnumber the disadvantages, but at times the going gets rough. I will have to become accustomed to the person on the bus, in the pool, at the store, who makes some rude remark about the place dogs should not be allowed. Often I think if I hear "What, you want to bring a dog in here?" one more time I'm going to, er, bark.

I was grudgingly admitted to the pool, where I was allowed to tie Suki up in the tiny atrium outside. I wonder how she will do there if it is raining, or very hot, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Meanwhile, I spread out my towel on the concrete floor and when I came back after a swim (30 laps, boy do I need to get back in shape!) I found Suki had contentedly gone to sleep. It seemed that I minded leaving her a lot more than she minded.

A few unsolved issues:

How the heck do you give your dog hand signals with your right hand when you are carrying shopping bags, a new garbage pail, or a bag with goldfish?

How do you try on clothes in a store when your dog won’t possibly fit into the changing room?

What do you do about those people who shout “It’s green!” at you when they have already crossed the street and you know that the light is about to turn red if you obey them and cross? (Ignore then)

How can you shop for glass coffee cups in a crowded store with a dog who has an overly-active tail?

What do you do when someone complains when you get on the bus and the entire bus begins an open discussion about you and your dog as if you were not there? (Do people think that people who don't see well also don’t hear?)

How do you feed three dogs at once when one of then is an extremely active golden retriever?

How do you get your dog to wake up a liiiiiiiittle later than 05:40 AM?