Pursuit eighteen: The (messy) things we do for LOVE

 Having grown up with dogs my entire life, going to college and being without a furry companion for the first three years was a major adjustment for me. So, this past summer I made the big leap and adopted my first pet, Smith, a three-year-old Chocolate Lab from the Young-Williams Animal Center here in Knoxville. It has been a great experience having a dog with me at college, and I do not regret taking on the responsibility. However, there have definitely been some aspects of owning my own dog that I have never had to deal with up until this point... A.K.A poop duty.

As a child I never really remember noticing "Scoop the Poop" signs in peoples yards, but maybe that is because I was in my own child-like world at that point so I never paid attention. However, as I have progressed in age and the world has changed, I feel like there are Scoop the Poop signs everywhere...

Now I am all for keeping the world clean and habitable for all living creatures, but I must admit that I have a major weakness for scooping poop. Thanks to my father, I inherited the inability to be around any displeasing odors or unidentifiable objects. So, this relatively new task of being the sole caretaker for Smith and making sure that I do my "civic duty" by cleaning up his waste has made me grow up in some respects.

However, at points while walking him I have definitely wished that gas masks would somehow come into fashion so that I could walk around seemingly unnoticed while I take care of doggy duty business and retain my sensory sanity...

But until that day comes, I can either train Smith to clean up his own poop...

like this dog here...

or take some of those at times unwilling steps of growing up... and clean up the mess because although this one little aspect of owning a dog is unpleasant, there are definitely more rewards from having him in my life.

Wish me luck on this pursuit!

Following my pursuits,

Price