Love, unleashed

Having lived buried in the country for the last 16 years, I missed out on a number of important urban experiences. Things like being able to call a plumber out of the phone book, or get food delivered, or hire someone to walk your dogs when you go out of town.



So when I had to go on two trips a week apart in January, and no longer had six fenced acres and a dog door so my mom could make sure my dogs got exercised without having to leash up the hounds of hell and try to walk them … I had no idea what to do. And then I remembered: Cities. Businesses. Dog walkers.



So I called my friend Kasie, the font of all San Francisco-based dog knowledge, and begged her to tell me who was the best, the most perfect, the ideal and ultimate dog walker.



And Kasie, of course, delivered. Not just one recommendation, but an epic document analyzing the minute differences between each of the dog walkers she liked, with careful attention to the known issues involving my dogs (hugeness being the main one) as well as speculative information on theories of dog training and appropriate canine behavior.



I selected the one who seemed, in this sea of perfection, to be the most perfect of all, and called her. She called me back, and arranged to come walk the dogs with me, to get to know them, and let me get to know her.



And of course, she was completely perfect, just like Kasie said she’d be. My dogs loved her, and she appeared to love them. So I left them in the loving care of my mother, with twice-daily dog walks with their new Aunt Courtney.



When I got home from my first trip, four days in New York City, I found another wonder of modern civilization: Dog walkers leave reports on every walk, outlining what kind of walk it was, how the dog behaved, and what bodily functions were performed. She also left a long summary of the overall experience.



She had put tags on my dogs’ collars saying, “If I’m alone, I’m lost. Please call my pet sitter,” and her number.



She came back and did the same thing all over again the following week, and this time included more analysis of their behavioral issues, and ideas on working with them to make them more perfect urban dogs.



I really, really love my dog walker.