A very "chill" dog

I had no idea how weird it apparently is to solo hike until the first time I told someone I solo hike and they were like "what???? That's SO DANGEROUS" and I was just like. Is it? And that is the reaction of everyone I have told LOL. I guess that's not a thing people do, whoops.

One of the weirdest things about my old job for sure was when we'd have a staff meeting and it was basically just my coworkers getting their asses handed to them for not doing stuff they were supposed to be doing and then the manager would turn to me and be like "none of this applies to you BTW."

I understand why people cant stand to wear socks, but I am the type of person who can't stand to NOT wear socks. The Floor Substances will get on my feet. I cannot with the pet hair and dust and whatever else getting on my feet. Also the floor is cold. If foot is touching floor unprotected by sock I am Having A Bad Time.

Truly one of the best pieces of hiking gear I have ever bought was one of those water reservoir things with the straw. While in theory I was aware that taking sips throughout keeps you better hydrated than drinking large quantities at once, because your body uses the water more efficiently or whatever, I am amazed at how much better I feel on longer hikes when I'm able to do that. Because if I have to take my pack off to get to my water bottle which I inevitably end up having to do, I don't drink as often. But when I can take sips throughout the hike without having to pack off, I genuinely end up feeling so much better the next day, and I had no idea what a difference it would make. I'm sold.

My dog has dog friends that she enjoys hanging out with. She does not enjoy meeting random stranger dogs, especially on leash where she feels like she can't escape if they turn out to be aggressive. I used to let other people's dogs "say hi" back when she was younger and wanted to do that, but we just encountered so many people who don't really know their dogs and thought their dog would be friendly and then it wasn't. And we've had so many people let their dogs run up to her and basically jump all over her and run her over. So at some point she started snapping and getting snarky first whenever random dogs come into her space before they even get a chance to start something. And honestly, fair. She's also 9 years old and has reached the age where someone's 80 lb Lab running up and body slamming her is not just annoying; it's painful, actually. Every dog is different, but most dogs are a lot more sociable when they are young, and lose interest in socializing with random stranger dogs the more they mature. That is natural development for a dog. If your dog is 5 years old and still loves every dog they meet and wants to play with every dog, congrats, your dog is weird! But anyway it's a lot easier to just say "no" or "she's not friendly" than it is to explain all that to someone. There is just no point to letting random people's dogs come up to her when 99% of the time she's just going to be rude to their dog right off the bat even if their dog didn't do anything wrong. And then the owner is probably going to get their feelings hurt or get mad at me and my dog. (She has never been truly aggressive or hurt another dog and I highly doubt she ever would. But she will growl and snap in their face if they don't respect her space.) Anyway I feel like a lot of people with super friendly dogs don't realize they are in the minority LOL. Most dogs probably don't want to meet your dog while they're out for their walk, even if they tolerate it. And you really shouldn't trust strangers to understand dog behavior enough to even know whether it's safe for your dog to meet their dog or not. Even if they say yes, their dog might not be as friendly as they think it is.

When the other person walking their dog just makes space and passes without even asking if their dog can "say hi" to your dog and life just feels like 🌈 ☀️ 🦋 ♥️🌻🌅✨🌠

Sometimes there will be an absolutely bonkers dog who is 60 lbs and made of energy at the daycare who makes me think "This dog must be owned by someone who is like in their 20s and runs 5 miles a day." And when the owner comes to pick them up, they are almost always a petite elderly woman and I always have to walk the dog to their car for them because I'm afraid they'll get pulled over and I'm just like. How?