Stroller daze: exploring the streets of Seattle and Vancouver
By Kim Campbell Thornton
October 2, 2008
Downtown Seattle is not very crowded on weekends, so on several Saturdays and Sundays, we got up early and loaded Bella into one of the strollers I was test-driving for DogCars.com (review up soon), leashed Harper and Twyla, and set out for our a.m. caffeine fix and some good people-watching.
Invariably, murmurs of “There’s a dog in that stroller” followed us as we made our way down to Pike Place Market and the waterfront. Not surprisingly, it was an excellent conversation starter, with most people wanting to know why Bella deserved to ride while Harper and Twyla had to hoof it. The “age before youth” explanation satisfied everyone, with a few people exclaiming that they’d like to do the same for their older dogs. I like to think that a few more older dogs will get outings on wheels as a result of her example.
Although Bella rode quietly, it was pretty evident that she’d prefer to be walking. This was especially obvious last weekend in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. After wheeling her for some distance around the sea wall, we let her out to do a little walking on her own. She set off at a rapid pace, apparently determined to prove that she could still move faster than those two young whippersnappers. I was afraid she’d wear herself out, but she didn’t seem any the worse for wear that evening or the next day when we all explored the Kitsilano and Commercial Street neighborhoods on foot.
Today, I’m hoping to get them out to Magnuson Park for one last off-leash romp, sans stroller–and ideally without the ginormous round burrs that attached themselves to Bella and Twyla’s fur when we did a little hike on Whidbey Island Tuesday. Tomorrow afternoon, it’s back to the OC.
Walking in the coolness and beauty of Seattle and Vancouver sounds wonderful to this Arizonan (looking forward to a few days of less than 100 degrees soon).
I can remember sneering the first time I ever saw a dog stroller in a store, thinking it was for folks who just want to spoil their dog, but after reading about an elderly dog’s experiences in a stroller, I realized how handy and helpful it could be for older and smaller dogs who are not able to go for long walks on their own, but would love to be with their people (and dog buddies) who are going for long walks. Bella, just wait for Harper and Twyla to get pooped, then hop out and show them who’s the fastest!
Comment by shadepuppy — October 3, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
Years ago, we saw a family, including a cute little girl, pulling their elderly dog in a wagon, and I’ve liked the idea ever since. We got a wagon for Darcy after she went into heart failure, but I like the stroller better because there’s no risk of the dog jumping out.
We left Seattle just in time; it started raining about an hour before we drove away and has followed us down the coast.
Comment by Kim — October 4, 2008 @ 10:46 pm