After yesterday’s downer of a day, it was quite refreshing to tackle Thursday. And yes, we did manage to make it out of the house by 5AM and hit the gym. This time, however, I actually got to work out while Piper got a bit more settled with our routine inside of the gym. I ended up tethering her to the ginormous metal pole – that probably holds the roof up or something – and did about 15 minutes on the elliptical. I’m going to eventually get back up to my 40 minute routine, but I’m really wanting Piper to feel comfortable, and being a good 15 or 20 feet away during my workout isn’t the most comfortable spot for her to be. She did well today, though, in spite of an older man staring at her the entire time.
We found all of the machines with precision and perfection this morning. She moved beautifully from machine to machine, and didn’t even flinch as I used them. What a pup! I felt very confident as we strolled through the gym, and you wouldn’t have even thought I had hit the brick wall the day before.
Sandy told me that she wanted us to work this route by ourselves the next morning. We’d go into the gym and do the same routine, as well, and this time, Sandy would sit outside of Piper’s gaze in the cardio room. I think she was there more to protect Piper from the older man that was creeping around her. In any event, we made it back home in record time, and of course, Piper enjoyed her dive into the briny deep to fish for the allusive kibble.
Our afternoon route was a breeze – and quickly turned into a quest for something caffeinated. We headed to the HEB on East Villa Maria, where Piper and I walked behind a shopping cart that Sandy was pulling. The route was to demonstrate how Piper was to follow when I went shopping with Angela. Of course, this was a cinch for her and we passed with flying colors. The challenge wasn’t the route, but more the search for some Starbucks drinks in the store. 5AM feels earlier and earlier with each passing day, so a little pep in my step couldn’t hurt anything, could it? On our way home, we spotted a bus stop and did a little research as to where that particular bus would take me. It may be something we dig a bit deeper into when an instructor comes back in a few months.
After postponing it a few times throughout the week, we finally ended up taking Sandy out for dinner. BJ’s Brewhouse was our destination, and it was a great opportunity to test the “follow” command with Piper. It’s hard enough getting Angela, Tyson and I into a restaurant, so add the pup into the mix, it’s a recipe for confusion. The “follow” command is nifty because, as long as Piper and I work together and pay attention, we can trail right behind Angela, or any other close friend or family member for that matter. And – of course – we did just fine. Dinner was great, conversation was excellent, and folks oogled Tyson more than they did Piper, so that was nice, too.
Solo route tomorrow at 5AM. Not really nervous or anything. How do you think we’ll do? You’ll have to subscribe to the Daily Wag feed and find out.
