My girl and I are about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, and by “girl” I mean my 20 lb chihuahua-dachshund bundle of love. I remember every detail of how we met to this day: I was on my way home from seeing a re-release of Dirty Dancing at the movies and my local pet store was having an adoption day. All the cuties were frollicking in pens on the front lawn–of course I had to stop! Was I looking to adopt a pup just then, having recently packed up my entire life to move cross-country back in with my parents after having a pre-midlife crisis that led to a deep depression and gaining back the substantial amount of weight I’d lost? No, it hadn’t been at the top of the list, but it was probably the best decision I made that year. We looked each other in the eyes and made a pact: I rescue you, you rescue me. Cut to 10 years later and we’re not living with my parents, I’ve dragged her back cross-country to be a New Yorker and we’ve mutually agreed not to discuss the stray white hairs we notice in each other. We also both keep up to date on news, and were intrigued when we saw this CNN reporting on best practices when on a walk:
The equivalent of distracted driving: Animal behaviorists say that at best, dog walkers who aren’t paying full attention can confuse dogs or frustrate by giving them conflicting signals. And at worst, they can endanger the dog’s safety–and their own as well. “It’s kind of like the dog-walking equivalent of distracted driving,” says Leslie Sinn, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in Ashburn, Virginia. “You’re not paying attention to the signs that your dog is uncomfortable… and if you’re missing all those clues because your head is elsewhere, that’s a problem.”
Only a small percentage of people can multitask effectively: CNN spoke to a handful of animal behaviorists who say they routinely see people walking dogs in their neighborhoods who are on their phones or pushing strollers and appear to be largely ignoring their pets. This can pose a safety problem for several reasons, dog experts say. Research has shown that only a small percentage of people can multitask effectively. Distracted dog walkers may not notice potential threats: bicyclists, joggers, cars or unleashed dogs, experts say. By the time a person looks up from their phone, their pet could be in an altercation with another dog–or worse.
My girl is totally guilty of this: Also, dogs are notorious for eating stuff that’s bad for them, experts say. “If you aren’t paying attention, dogs can pick up and eat things QUICKLY–chicken bones, cigarette butts, dead/poisoned rats, etc.,” says Amy L. Pike, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in Fairfax, Virginia. “If you didn’t see it, you won’t know to take them into the vet. Or if you do take them in because they are sick, you won’t know what they ingested, which helps your vet treat them.”
You may miss your dog ‘speaking’ to you: Someone buried in their phone also may not notice when their dog becomes agitated or shows signs of fatigue or an injury. “Your dog ‘speaks’ primarily with their non-verbal body language,” Pike says. “If you aren’t paying enough attention to what they are ‘saying,’ you won’t know how your dog feels.
So… most of this reporting seems like common sense? I’ll be honest and say that I’m usually listening to music or talking on the phone when we’re out on a walk–but I use airpods so my hands are free and I’m not looking at my phone. The most multitasking I attempt is holding a drink and holding the leash at the same time (but not with the same hand). I used to refill her poop bags in the dispenser while on our walks, but I had to stop after I lost hold of a roll and watched it completely unfurl in the street.
Out of all the issues the veterinary behaviorists mentioned, the biggest problem I have with my girl is her relentless pursuit of scraps of food to scarf up. I attribute it to her being a rescue and still holding onto the fear of not having any food–even though she’s been living the life of Riley for a decade now. So even while I’m listening to tunes or catching up with someone (probably my mother), our walks are peppered with my (lovingly) harping at my girl: “No eating! Drop that! I told you we eat at home!” and then she gives me the side-eye so I have to respond with “It doesn’t have to be this way, young lady!” and then she huffs and sets off on the hunt again. Yeah, I’m not worried that we’re missing each other’s signals on our walks.
Photos credit Bundo Kim and Alina Belogolov on Unsplash and Viktoria B and Samson Katt on Pexels
