Morning Walks

The smell of dog breath and the touch of wet nose to my cheek were the first sensations I had this morning. "Cooper!", I shouted as I wearily threw the sheets off me and got out of bed. Putting my contacts in is always a chore at this hour. The dog sat at my feet and looked up at me as I fumbled with the flimsy pieces of plastic polymer I place in my eyes each morning.

After putting the leash on the dog and grabbing an extra bag we headed out the door for the morning routine that I am responsible for every Thursday and Friday. My wife takes Monday through Wednesday so I can start the week off with plenty of sleep. Cooper leads the way to the park whether by memory or instinct so that he can chase a tennis ball and scout out puddles to roll around in.

We were able to break into the park without incident when I realized, much to Cooper's chagrin, that I didn't have a tennis ball with me. Fifteen minutes of running around the park so Cooper could chase me instead of the tennis ball found me heading home with a happy, yet tired, dog.

The smell of vanilla scented coffee struck me as I opened the door to my house. I filled the water and food bowl, a daily occurrence that Cooper looks forward to, and laid them before the dog. Panting, he dove in head first spilling water all over his snout and the surrounding area.

I smiled, knowing that my dog was a happy dog and headed in to find out how that vanilla coffee was doing in the kitchen.