Best Friends

The Dog Days of Coronavirus

Days without ear rubs are dark days indeed

I am that guy. The one that spends much more time talking to your dog when we pass each other on a walk and stop for an ear rub, than I do talking to you.

Or, at least I used to be. I mean, I still am the same, but our social circumstances have changed. So now, even though there are plenty of dogs out walking their humans around the neighborhood, they have become more elusive.

It is much more likely that people I meet on my daily walk will be on the other side of the road or take a much wider swath as we pass.

Before, if a canine was involved, I would always ask if I could pet their dog. Almost always that was a “yes”. Nowadays, the body language of most people says that they would rather exchange pleasantries at a distance, and doesn’t ever seem to invite the, “can I pet your dog?” question.

I get it. Better safe than sorry. And, I am onboard with necessity of social distancing, but I feel like I may be dangerously close to experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the lack of ear rubs and butt scratches.

Both my wife and I have owned dogs much of our adult lives. Before we moved in together, she had a left an ugly situation with an ex. She left behind an older retriever with some phobias that meant she would do much better staying the in the house she had become accustomed to.

And, as such things go at times, just prior to deciding to join forces and live together I had seen the passing of my much-loved Llewellyn setter. So, when we started our new household several years ago, we found ourselves sans-canine.

At first both of us needed a beat or two before we considered adding a furry best friend into the household mix. Then, our predilection for frequent travel made us pause to consider whether it was fair to bring in a new family member, then wing off to exotic places leaving them behind. Probably not so much.

So, we held off, always keeping dog companionship as a possibility on the horizon.

We have made do with visits from our grand dogs, and occasional path crossing of dogs in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, both of those occasions have tapered off considerably with stay at home measures and people being much more aware of social distancing.

That leaves me longing for some fuzzy ears to rub. I still get to see plenty of pups out walking in the neighborhood; but now I don’t get to touch them. Massive bummer!

In days of more social closeness I am sure that there were a few people that thought I was a bit rude, or maybe just odd. I would ask to pet their dog, then spend the rest of the conversation with the pup.

My canine small talk game is on point, I am not ashamed to admit. We always get on quite famously, me and dogs. They are incredibly easy to talk to and are always willing to engage; at least for a quick hand sniff and a scratch if nothing else.

I ask if they are a good boy or girl. And I Ask if they like to have their ears rubbed and bend down to oblige their answer; which is always yes.

Then, after a while, I remember that there is a human now standing, attached to the other end of the leash that I have mostly ignored. Sorry (not sorry). So, I tell the human to have a nice day, then the doggo and I part ways; both knowing, that when we cross paths again, the meeting will go down much the same way.

But, for now, such interactions seem to be on pause. And I silently suffer. I watch from the other side of the road, or across the field as retrievers, setters, shepherds, schnauzers and every other manner of fuzzy canine adorableness walks and plays and romps with their owners.

One day I will, once again, get to run my fingers through your fur and scratch your itchy areas. We will commune and chat and become acquainted once again.

I still probably won’t have much to talk about with your human though. But I am sure they will get over it.

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Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.