A blog post by Clutch, the jungle Yorkie
Miss Janet and I disagree about the best route for our daily walks. All walking paths lead to the meadow where I can play and visit all my animal friends. But I have my preferred path to the meadow, and it’s not the way Miss Janet prefers to go.
We have a long driveway that curves around toward the meadow. That’s the route Miss Janet always wants to take—except in winter when it’s icy. The driveway is in the shade all summer, so the pavement never heats up. It’s fine for me to walk it. But it’s boring!
I prefer to walk through the jungle. The jungle stretches from the backyard to the meadow. It’s much more interesting. There’s so much to do.
Miss Janet doesn’t like the jungle. She’d rather walk the driveway, the easy route. She doesn’t realize how much she is missing out. How much I am missing out.
The jungle is filled with tree roots, vines, and fallen branches to jump over. It’s like a cross-country course. Those surprises make my walks interesting!
The more obstacles on the ground, the more I get to explore. So many things to sniff, so many creatures scurrying. We never know who or what we will discover. Maybe a chipmunk. Maybe a tasty bug. Or the soft ground cover I love to roll in. It spreads over the jungle floor all summer with its tiny purple flowers.
The jungle is a new experience every time we visit. It’s constantly in motion, changing all day long. The joys of staying alert while walking over uneven terrain. The challenge of figuring out how to jump over that twisted branch that’s bigger than I am. Or how to get unstuck from the vine I got tangled in.
The jungle route definitely takes longer. But our daily walks are not meant to be a race. They’re an adventure. I enjoy my day much more when I get the full jungle experience. If only Miss Janet would share my delight in the intricacies of nature, she would enjoy her day more, I’m sure of it.
I’m writing this in the hopes Miss Janet will get a clue and take me on the jungle route more often. It’s so good for me, and it’s good for her too. She just doesn’t realize it yet.
Maybe we can compromise—morning and afternoon through the jungle, where it’s cooler, and evening on the boring driveway. I think that’s a fair offer. I hope she will agree.
Next time you see Miss Janet, please put in a vote for the jungle route on my behalf. Tell her it’s good for me. She always wants what’s good for me. Hopefully, she won’t delete this post.
Stay wild and enjoy the jungle,
Clutch
The Inquisitive Yorkie 