What do dogs think walks are for?

[Lolypoly14]

I have been pondering this this morning. .

Doggo loves water, any kind will do - sea, rivers, muddy puddles, etc. She can’t help herself and is straight in, so for the last week or so where it’s been freezing, I haven’t taken her anywhere watery.

Took her out for a big walk yesterday. Lovely long loop, where she can be off lead with a little bit of river on the way back to the carpark so she could have a little bit of a swim before getting back into the car with loads of dry towels (and heated seats) to snuggle into.

She loves walks, especially walks that involve getting in the car as that usually means somewhere good, and she get ridiculously excited when she sees me getting poo bags out of the drawer and my car keys (just poo bags means the park or round the block) and she recognises landmarks on the way (for example, driving past the big Tesco means her favourite beach and she starts getting super excited), but I always wonder what’s going through her head.

Does she realise I’m just taking her somewhere nice for fun? Does she think she’s taking me somewhere nice? Does she think we’re going on patrol or something?

I couldn’t sleep last night (insomnia) so I’ve been thinking about this for a while 😂

Dogs are just perfection. I love these stories.

My dog says:

• back garden is for perimeter checks (dastardly cats creep in and RUIN the foliage and must be stopped)
• morning walk is when The Boy cruelly abandons her on her own to be alone forever more. Plus first checks of the sniff and wee points.
• lunch is running and frolicking and sniffing and occasionally catching up with friends
• afternoon is collecting The Boy from his incarceration at school plus afternoon sniff and wee point checks. Occasional cat baiting.
• night time perimeter check (and frightening off any cats/hedgehogs or deer that may be nearby)

Weekend walks are for galloping and thundering about like the giant hound that she is (she's a small breed dog I can carry under my arm).

saturday mornings are often great for me and ddog, we might walk over the fields or round the paths but it is our time and is a priority.
i had to take dd out at 7 am or so one saturday <<at least it felt like it>> and of course took ddog for an adventure in the area, unfortunately on this occasion ddog was upset that dd had disappeared and so refused to walk very far

Following our evening stroll, i have another question to add to the list.

Why does she look me dead in the eye when she’s having a poo and/or wee? It’s very unnerving.

Also, why does she break into the bathroom to stare at me while I’m having a wee?

I know it’s meant to be about feeling vulnerable and stuff, but how exactly does it help?

@Lolypoly14 mine likes to break into the bathroom when I'm showering. I think it started off out of concern (Spare human is in the dreaded bath!) But now she shoves the door open, glares at me and skips off.

Otherwise I think the staring at me when she's doing the poo is possibly her making sure I know I have to pick up whatever comes out of her. Like the servant I am.