Walking With Royalty

I suppose it was bound to happen.  I used to refer to Treat as a social butterfly.  There were no strangers in the world, just people her highness had not formally been introduced to yet.  Now that my walks with Bunny and Blueberry have become regular again and the weather has begun to warm up, things are changing.  They may become more famous than Treat was, but I haven't had anyone gasp at a dinner party at a greyhound gathering over either of them yet. 

When I was walking Bunny during the cold, it wasn't an issue because few people were out walking besides us and those who were out were heavily bundled up which isn't too conducive to stopping to chat.  I should also mention for those who don't know that we live in a very small village, population 2500 the last I heard, but I'm sure that includes a lot of the rural farm population and possibly a few pigs.  It's like living in Mayberry and we enjoy it here for the most part.  While we are not natives to the village, many of the people here are quite friendly and chatty.  You never pass someone on the street without at least saying hello. 

Perhaps you already see where this is leading.  The girls have already won over quite a few people out on our walks.  Everyone we pass seems to know them by name.  I doubt that anyone knows my name, but that's quite alright.  I suspect that I wouldn't even be recognized without one of the dogs on a leash at my side.  Wherever we go, I now here people calling greetings, mainly to Bunny, who dutifully stops and accepts their attention.  It has firmly reinforced the idea in her head that everyone in the world is waiting for their turn to pet her. 

It's not so great for me, since I'm walking for exercise, but there seems to be no end in sight.  It does strike me as a reminder of how much Treat opened the world to me.  I'm generally a shy, quiet person, but there's something about having a dog with you that seems to make you more approachable, and honestly, it's not difficult to get me to talk about my dogs, either.  It wasn't as if I felt that I was left out before I had dogs, but having them certainly makes me see and experience things that I wouldn't have otherwise.  Walking a little slower is a small price to pay for that.  We wouldn't want to disappoint their loyal subjects!