I Was That Woman

I took Zonah to the beach yesterday, so she could swim while it is still warm. Upon arriving, I realized that I had forgotten her Easy-Walk harness. For those not in the know, the harness works similarly to a Gentle Leader or Halti, but goes on the dog's body, not on their face. It stops the dog from being able to pull by the way it is designed. I love it. And for a 60 lb., excited Pit-bull, it is a must.

So, there I am: a skirt, worn-out flip-flops, a baby in a sling, car keys in one hand and Zonah's leash in the other. She tried not to pull, but was just too damn excited. I kept stopping, and she kept sitting. We would walk, she would pull, I would stop, she would sit. Over and over and over again.

To Zonah's credit, she could have taken me out, and she didn't. She was pulling mildly, not the limb dislocating, pull your feet out from under you, eat pavement pulling she is capable of. She almost did this a few times, but manged not to, for which I thank her. She really is a good girl.

We finally got to the beach. It was empty. I let her loose and into the water she went. I found a stick, but didn't throw it far. The tide was coming in, the sun was setting and the water was a little choppy. Zonah is a great swimmer and beautiful to behold. But I worry. She is old, she is precious to me. If she started drowning, would I leave the baby on the shore and go in to rescue her? Probably not. If I drowned, what would the baby do? Like I said, I worry.

After several good throws, we headed back. I snapped on the leash and saw some men and a loose dog near the end of the beach. Zonah loves people, but is not enamored with all canines. And me, being in flip-flops, skirt, baby in tow on a beach of smooth rocks, was not in a good position to mediate an introduction, or pull my beautiful girl out of a dogfight.

I called to the men and they kindly put their dog on a leash. I thanked them. Zonah almost pulled me and Opal over a log to meet them and their dog- which she actually seemed interested in(in a good way)-gave a few barks and walked back to the car nice and easy like a good dog should.

Our adventure was a success, despite my poor planning. It is just slightly worse than that time I showed up at the dog park with baby Opal, flip-flops, a hot chai, and overenthusiastic Wallace. Some people!

Paxton Monk

Name: Paxton Monk

Gender: Male

Breed: Pointer mixed with something else. Maybe boxer.

Weight: 72 ish-lbs

Age: 7 or 8 ish

Likes: Snacks, to be petted and hugged, snacks, fence fighting, snacks, adventures in the great outdoors, and oh yeah, snacks.

Dislike: Tupperware, and anything else that might fall on him. Toe nail trimming.


Bio: Paxton was adopted from the Tacoma Humane Society in January of 2002. Although he is extremely handsome and was listed on Petfinder, he was at the shelter for nearly 3 weeks before I adopted him. He was dirty and very skinny, with torn ligaments in his back knees and a rock in his stomach(I did not know these things of course). Four thousand dollars and some adjustment time later, the timid skinny dog has turned into a strapping, handsome, friendly boy. Paxton is one of the sweetest, gentlest dogs I have ever met. Many people claim to be in love with him. But to be in love with him, you would have to embrace all his quirks, and annoying habits: fence fighting, squirrel killing, leash aggression with other dogs, pacing, staring, general nervousness for no apparent reason, drooling at dinner time. Paxton, I know you so well. Paxton you are the balm of my heart. I love you.