[Magdalen] Gone to the dogs

[Jay Weigel]

(And to the cats, but not that much, surprisingly!) I've begun volunteering
at our local SPCA shelter as a dog walker and cat socializer, but I find
that I'm much more of a dog socializer and walker. It all began when I
started visiting looking for a small dog companion and didn't find one, but
met a lovely senior lady dog who, unfortunately, I can't bring home because
an orthopedic condition makes her unfit for our 4-level house. I found out
that if I attend a short orientation session, I could qualify as a
volunteer, so I did and I am! Now I'm going two or three days a week to
walk the dogs and generally spend time with them and I totally love it.
Just this week, in a little over 7 hours, I've logged almost 7 miles and
essentially gotten a weigh workout with a couple of hounds who wanted to
drag me around all over. Hey, it beats going to the gym and the dogs are
nicer than the gym rats anyway.