My Walking Buddy

I wanted to introduce everyone to my walking buddy, aka Leo. Leo will be helping as I train for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. As some of you know, Leo is the most recent addition to my "animal" family. He was adopted in September during a trip to Connecticut. I had driven past the puppy store on my way to visit the cemetery where my mother rests, and said, "OH! I didn't realize there was a pet store in Danbury!" (Funny how on prior trips through the town this store was never pointed out - again, thanks DAD!) Well... taking note of the pet store was a bad/good idea - depending on how you look at it.

After visiting MaryAnne Corriveau (another person in the family who had a huge addiction to impulsive buying), I stopped at American Breeders and fell in love with Leo. There he was, sitting in a crate as calm as could be. I asked the woman if I could play with the little basset hound and she put us together in a little room. Of course, within minutes, he peed on me. As if that wasn't enough of a sign of what was to come...

According to multiple sources, basset hounds are rated as one of the dumbest dog breeds. Sad, I know. In all fairness, I was unaware of this ranking at the time I purchased Leo. Knowing this, though, might not have made a difference anyway. While Leo is still a puppy, he brings alot of joy (accompanied with alot of frustration) to my life and the lives of people that know him (Hi, Peggy!) Below is a picture of his lobster costume that he "wore" for Halloween followed by some of his very important stats. Hey, he is my walking buddy and you should know a little more about him, too!

Leo's Stats:

Species: Dog
Breed: Basset Hound
Color: Tri-color (black, brown & white)
Height: Approximately 16"
Weight: 45 pounds & growing
Best feature: Droopy eyes & super long ears
Strengths: Personality
Weaknesses: Nose
Favorite food: Anything on the ground
Favorite pastime(s): Chasing the cats, getting whacked in the face by the cats, peeing on the floor
Most missed human from NY: Peggy (his Godmother)
Favorite song: Hounddog by Elvis Presley

So far, our training regiment for the Avon Walk has included a morning walk (around 6:30). We've been trekking through Arlington, with Leo's occasional stop for sniffing random objects, using the potty, and often times eating the contents of whatever was created while using the potty. Yucky, but this is the truth nonetheless.

Today's walk was no different. We were up and out by 6:40 and home at 7:20. I figure this is about 2 miles - give or take. The training schedule the representative gave me suggested that I be walking 5 miles each day, with rest every few days. So, while I'm not up to 5 miles, the average person walks between 4 and 5 miles a day already and I'm hoping that this will help, too.

As promised, I'll keep you updated on website information and training. Until tomorrow...

I walk for my Aunt Pat.