here's what makes me feel good

I'm walking the girl last night, as I do all nights, when I run into one of my neighbors. We're both a few streets away from our own street, and she says, "That dog gets more exercise than I do." Granted, I'm not all that sure that this person really GETS all that much exercise, but the point was well-taken.

In the beginning with Belly, I was paranoid about making sure she got enough exercise, primarily because she was still a puppy and I lived in an apartment with no yard. So we walked a LOT. We still do. But the point is I used to beat myself up about it on the off days when she didn't get what I considered to be enough exercise.

So yeah, I'm a good dog owner. I'd be the worst parent on god's green earth, but this I think I'm doing pretty well. And that, my friends, is largely because she doesn't have to go to school and interact with other children--this means she can't tell people about the horrors of her home life and the things I say to her when I think nobody's listening.