Published: April 14, 2008 11:19 pm            

Cathie Shaffer: Dog's day at market just fine: 4/15/08

Going to the flea market is an experience in itself. Taking the dog with you is another story.

Our Maggie is an intelligent dog who pretty much accepts what life gives her. Her Sheltie genetics make her a fan of winter, and she loves nothing more than to stand face-first in a brisk, 20-degree wind.

I, on the hand, hate standing in a brisk, 20-degree wind, so our trips outside are quite short when the weather is bad. When I say, “Let’s go in,” Maggie obediently trots in the house.

She has learned to live with the disappointment of a food dish filled with dry dog chow while the rest of the family eats fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Maggie is also well aware of the difference between a weekday schedule and a weekend schedule. She gets up earlier on weekdays and sleeps more during the day, anticipating the arrival of the kids home from school. The bus is her signal that it’s almost time to go out.

Although Maggie has enough fur to keep a small village of Siberians warm, she is a house dog. So I hesitate to take her on weekend ridealongs in the cold of winter or heat of summer when I know she’ll be left alone in the parked car for a while.

Spring days are perfect for taking Maggie with me. I took her along on a recent Saturday to deliver cupcakes to a club dinner, and she had such a good time I decided she ought to get out more before it gets too hot.

The next day, the youngest grandgirl and I chose to go flea-marketing with my son after church. It was warm and sunny, and Maggie looked so cute blocking the front door with her large, furry frame that we decided to take her along.

Although she doesn’t always show it, Maggie is an obedience school graduate.

She really does know how to behave in public, and she also knows naughty girls have to stay home the next time.

Our route to the flea market is the same one we take to go to her Gramma’s house, so she seemed a little taken aback when we stopped on the edge of town. Still, she looked interested as we parked in a row of cars, and her enthusiasm became evident when we opened the car door and invited her out.

My concern as we decided on this great adventure was that she might feel overwhelmed by so many people. As it turns out, I was way wrong.

She loved the people. Using her very best manners, she sat politely as those strolling by stopped to admire or pet her. She didn’t even bark when she passed a puppy in a crate that yapped to get her attention.

But oh, the scents! From posts used as puppy pottys to the aroma of food and the intriguing odd scents of an outdoor sales place, Maggie reveled in them all.

I must say, that first flea market visit of the season was a grand success.

I found a few little things for a new grand-niece or nephew arriving this fall, my grandgirl was delighted with the toys she found and my son found nifty odds and ends for a hobby project he has under way.

And Maggie? I’d say that if the puppy grin on her face all the way home and her subsequent two-hour nap are any indication, she had the best time of us all.

CATHIE SHAFFER can be reached at (606) 473-9851.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.