Foley Writes About a Man and a Dog who Cope by Walking

I know a man who has a dog. The dog is fairly new to the household. You see, the kids wanted a pup. So the parents got them one. They were all very happy. 
Both the parents worked, and the kids went to school.  When the dad got home late in the day, he would take the dog for a short walk. The dog sure was grateful to get that little jaunt in.

Then came the virus. The kids stopped going to school, and the parents stopped going to work. The dog thought it was fantastic. He was getting more attention than he could have ever dreamed of before.

The days became weeks, and the weeks stretched to a month. No one had gone out of the house except for short trips for supplies. It's a big house, much bigger than any I ever lived in. It has high ceilings and open rooms. There's even a man cave in the cellar. But when you are quarantined inside a house for a long time that big expensive, house looked like, at least from the inside, an eight by eight cell.

The great thing about dogs is that we're always home. Alas, when every person in the house is home all the ti, me, it is not such a g, good thing for anyone living there.
Within a couple of weeks, the dad needed to get out. But he's a good person, and he didn't risk, infecting his family. Plus, there were strict restrictions about leaving the house, and he wanted to be a good citizen. He looked down at the dog; then, he found his answer.  “Honey,” he said, “I'm going to take the dog for a walk.” 

The wife was equally as sick of him as he was of her. He put the leash on the dog and took it for a walk around the neighborhood. The dog was so happy. He loved going for walks, and this one was s, lower than usual. He got to sniff whatever he wanted to smell.

They got home, and the dog took a nap. Later that day, the father announced he was once again taking the dog for a walk. The dog's tail wagged back and forth. He got outside, and gleefully explored the smells.  He had the best dog life ever.

The next day the dad and the dog went for a morning walk.  A few hours after they returned, the Dad announced that the dog looked like he needed another walk, and off they went.  Two hours after that,t they took another.; the dog kept up its enthusiasm throughout the day, even for the two after supper 15 minutes apart. 

Now the dad is taking the dog for a walk six to eight times a day.  The dad said the dog was a little heavy and needed the exercise despite the pup having legs like a gazelle.  The exhausted dog spent the day hiding under the bed, hoping his dad didn’t notice him, but his fluffy tail, as it always did, betrayed him.  He keeps being pulled out for walks.  He has every smell memorized in the neighborhood memorized.  His pads have been worn down to toilet paper.  He is suffering from hip dysplasia.  All he wanted was just to stay home.

    But, like an old gunfighter called out to defend his town endlessly, the Daddy kept bringing the dog out, even in the driving rain, in which they wore humiliating matching yellow raincoats and their feet and paws going equally drenched.  They cover an area of 87 miles a day. If you look to the east, you may see them still walking with no particular place to go.   

    Each is looking for the way back to normal.