Tired of spending our walks untangling leashes from trees, poles, and my ankles, I tried something new with the dogs today – instead of one long ramble, I took each of them on a solo walk.

This worked out well for Zorro, because he’s all about peeing on vertical objects, circling the block, and heading home where it’s warm and toasty.

It also gave me the chance to try letting Cleo off-leash a bit, which worked better than I thought. Technically, though, I guess I was the one off-leash, as it was still attached to her, so that, if necessary, I could stomp on the end of it.

People who know me will remember that I’m fanatical about keeping dogs under control. I’ve been known to lecture friends on the use of leashes, in fact. So, let me just say that the only time Cleo’s leash wasn’t in my hand was in the otherwise empty park, and that she has a 100% recall ratio. Meaning, I’m dead certain that if I call her name, she’ll come to me.

We tested this a LOT in the park today. I let her get almost to the curb, then called her back, and she came every time. I’m extremely pleased that she also ignored the person who lives across the street from the park opening and closing their garage door. Also, she didn’t chase the cat that was wandering loose.

(I’m also fanatical about people controlling their cats. Hello? We live in the suburbs, not a farm. It is not appropriate to let your animal run loose.)

So, Cleo gets a gold star for the day, and I’m tickled to death because part of my twelve-month plan involves taking up running, and I think she’ll make a great companion for that.

Tomorrow, we’ll try again, and see what happens. We will also begin training her to STOP and SIT at all corners, something we’ve been lax about.

In the meantime, both dogs are sacked out. Zorro’s on the chair near my desk. Cleo’s in Zorro’s bed. Sort of. She doesn’t really fit, as she’s three times his size, and it’s a cat bed. So her rear half is in it, her middle is over the side, and her head is resting on the floor.

Silly dog.