These words inspired by H. D. Thoreau

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately..." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)

Actually, I went to the woods because Mom and Dad took me there on my morning walk. And I am very deliberate during my time there. In fact, Henry David himself says that there's nothing like a bit of exercise to get the creative juices flowing.

Being naturally rather introspective, I consulted my two-volume set of Thoreau's journals (rather criminally discarded by a New Jersey public library which shall go unnamed) for August 19, 1851: "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live! Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow...The writing which consists with habitual sitting is mechanical, wooden, dull to read."

There you have it: the perfect argument for every writer to have an annoying, lovable pup who has only the writer's best interests (plus his own, of course) at heart, when launching himself at the writing chair. The goal: to put both writer and pup in motion.

If you need more instruction on moving, the September Runner's World has tons of info on running with dogs, including the pros and cons of running with a leash, top dogs for running with humans, things to buy for your running dog (why no high-endurance treats on the list? I'm always thinking food).

Somehow, my noble breed is not one recommended for running with humans. The problem? Humans seem to like run in a straight line! Sparky, my beloved brother Dalmatian and an excellent running companion, was fine with that. Me, perhaps because of my contrarian nature, am not.

Soundtrack to my life: my little runaway?

Was visiting the Wellesley Booksmith the other day and my pal Lorna, musing over my awesome looks and personality, wondered if I had a song that encapsulated my life.

Mom thought. "Perhaps an ode would be more appropriate—something weightier than a popular song," she said.

Today she had second thoughts. Perhaps I'm not as professorial as she thought, but hey, a guy's gotta have fun, right? I was taking my morning constitutional around Lake Waban, where off leash dogs (not so legally) abound. One fetching pup (in appearance, not habit) took off toward the water. I did the same, wrenching my leash out of dad's grasp. Mom, natch, found me on a path we hadn't tried before, behind the old tennis courts, and snagged me.

First she sang the Del Shannon hit, but it didn't quite fit. She knew quite well why I ran away. Then, being the bookish and very mom-ish sort, intoned the lines from Margaret Wise Brown's The Runaway Bunny: "If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my little bunny." Which is, when you think about it, kind of an ode.

Sorry...can't hear you

Mom's #1 pet peeve: untrained off leash dogs. The untrained part applies to lots of them. So does the off leash part. Ever notice that most dogs don't come the moment they are called? I mean, why would they? First, they run up to you, sniff around and maybe nip, shake their wet selves all over your mom and maybe jump on her. Once they're finished doing whatever they wanted to do, then, OK, they might head back to their folks.

Somehow that counts as obeying voice commands. Hey, I don't even pretend to! Guess that's why I'm always on a leash. Except when I'm careening around within the safety of my six-foot fence, of course.

So Mom was glad to see the Fall '09 WellesleyWeston Magazine's helpful article on nearby hikes with your pup. Top on the list of essentials is obedience training. #3 is a leash: "even if your dog is fully trained to voice commands, sometimes leashes are required by law, or need to be used as a common courtesy, so have one handy at all times."

Wish more Wellesley walkers would take that advice. One human once said to me, "Aren't you a good dog, obeying the leash law!" while her own pup ran wildly around in a posted on-leash area. Hmmmm...a leash is not my choice, but I guess it's for my own safety. I even gained a free treat from the Wellesley College police last week while I was walking around Lake Waban on leash!

Interestingly, Needham has been looking to create townwide regulations on whether dogs can have access to public playing fields. The Needham Times says officials closely watched the Perrin Park debate over restricting dog use in the multi-use park. Some townspeople are thinking of creating a real, fenced dog park. Yay!

Not sure what the leash law is in Wellesley? Check out Article 47 of the town bylaws.