Quoting chindit51:

The Firefly is in the shop for scheduled maintenance and some upgrades, so I've returned to 'alternate Infantry transport' to get to and from work in the interim. Daisey took it upon herself to walk along with me, a 'father-and-daughter-in-law' outing. This isn't the first time we've headed out like that, but generally, she'll only accompany me so far before returning to the usual haunts around home. She hasn't been to the store in ages, not since we moved from the apartment.

The walk was comfortable and easy enough, a clear night, a comfortable 72 degrees with a quarter moon and very little traffic, so we owned the road for the most part. The 1.1 miles passed steadily under our feet (well, foot) and paws, and we came down the 'great hill' and to the store without incident. Since there were folks in the parking lot, Daisey took her circumventing route to investigate, while I dropped my pack to dig out my cup and a cigarette, preparations for getting ready to start work. While I smoked and drank my tea, Daisey seemed to familiarize herself with the old grounds. This is where it started for her, meeting up and mating with Tanglefoot, learning to trust me as a human. I can't help but wonder if a dog has memories of days gone by. They have some emotions, of course, and the ability to learn certainly suggests memory. Does she wax nostalgic, returning to her first homeground? I don't quite think of her as being sentimental as I, but she did seem to check out those old places where she'd lay down, keep watch, even look for the tidbits I'd set out for her. There were new scents for her to investigate - a stray cat or two, a wandering dog, even a coyote that ventured across the bridge. As people would come and go, she would observe unobtrusively, her black coat being good camoflague at night.

Normally in the past, she would wait until an hour or so before I got off work, then precede me home to greet me at the door of my old place, as if to say, "what took you so long?" Today, she and I both paced out the minutes until I was through with work for the day. Now, another thing in the 'normal' range of behavior for her is, she will not get into a car. If she recognizes the vehicle, she'll come up to it, but stops at that point. My neighbor stopped by to see if I'd like a ride home, saw Daisey, and we talked about we'd have to go about getting her home. Would she just follow us on foot? Could I coax and coerce her into the vehicle and hold her the entire way? Surprisingly when the time came, she almost beat me inside of the car - shock of shocks! We DID have to convince her she needed to get in the back, but she complied willingly. Instead of the edge of panic that occured when she was trapped in a vehicle, she seemed to enjoy the ride, sitting on the back seat, as if it was her accustomed place. Upon arriving home, though, she bolted out the front door, didn't wait for me to let her out through the rear door, so maybe it was enough of a novelty or she was just glad to be home.

The Firefly is in the shop for scheduled maintenance and some upgrades, so I've returned to 'alternate Infantry transport' to get to and from work in the interim. Daisey took it upon herself to walk along with me, a 'father-and-daughter-in-law' outing. This isn't the first time we've headed out like that, but generally, she'll only accompany me so far before returning to the usual haunts around home. She hasn't been to the store in ages, not since we moved from the apartment.

The walk was comfortable and easy enough, a clear night, a comfortable 72 degrees with a quarter moon and very little traffic, so we owned the road for the most part. The 1.1 miles passed steadily under our feet (well, foot) and paws, and we came down the 'great hill' and to the store without incident. Since there were folks in the parking lot, Daisey took her circumventing route to investigate, while I dropped my pack to dig out my cup and a cigarette, preparations for getting ready to start work. While I smoked and drank my tea, Daisey seemed to familiarize herself with the old grounds. This is where it started for her, meeting up and mating with Tanglefoot, learning to trust me as a human. I can't help but wonder if a dog has memories of days gone by. They have some emotions, of course, and the ability to learn certainly suggests memory. Does she wax nostalgic, returning to her first homeground? I don't quite think of her as being sentimental as I, but she did seem to check out those old places where she'd lay down, keep watch, even look for the tidbits I'd set out for her. There were new scents for her to investigate - a stray cat or two, a wandering dog, even a coyote that ventured across the bridge. As people would come and go, she would observe unobtrusively, her black coat being good camoflague at night.

Normally in the past, she would wait until an hour or so before I got off work, then precede me home to greet me at the door of my old place, as if to say, "what took you so long?" Today, she and I both paced out the minutes until I was through with work for the day. Now, another thing in the 'normal' range of behavior for her is, she will not get into a car. If she recognizes the vehicle, she'll come up to it, but stops at that point. My neighbor stopped by to see if I'd like a ride home, saw Daisey, and we talked about we'd have to go about getting her home. Would she just follow us on foot? Could I coax and coerce her into the vehicle and hold her the entire way? Surprisingly when the time came, she almost beat me inside of the car - shock of shocks! We DID have to convince her she needed to get in the back, but she complied willingly. Instead of the edge of panic that occured when she was trapped in a vehicle, she seemed to enjoy the ride, sitting on the back seat, as if it was her accustomed place. Upon arriving home, though, she bolted out the front door, didn't wait for me to let her out through the rear door, so maybe it was enough of a novelty or she was just glad to be home.