Dog-Walking Gloves

These are my dog-walking gloves. Because I treat my pup to a long 25 foot leash of luxurious semi-freedom, long enough for chasing rabbits, crawling into thickets, and climbing up the stairs of the occasional open door on a school bus, the gloves serve to protect my hands from dirt and debris as I coil up the rope at street crossings and encounters with humans, and they minimize the inevitable rope burns caused by an accelerating beast when she literally reaches the end of her rope. 

And during the cooler months of the year, which here in the Pacific Northwest is literally all of them, my gloves give me a comfortable layer of warmth. 

The gloves on the left are my old gloves. I've used them for many years and literally thousands of walks. They go back easily to 2010, which puts them in the middle of Ranger's life. The gloves have been on mountain hikes and beach walks, across the United States and back again many times over. Oh, the stories these gloves could tell, if only they could talk. 

Of course, they can't. Gloves don't talk but the wear on these babies speaks for itself. Look at how the seams at the bottom of the palms are completely ripped out, and almost every single finger tip was worn through. These tried-and-trues have been past their prime for a good long time, but for purely sentimental reasons, I have hated to give them up. 

They have still been sparking plenty of joy for me. 

But today, as you may have guessed, is a brand new day. Strolling the aisles of Home Depot around midday, I spied the new, upgraded version of my old friends and impetuously snapped them up. A few hours later at walk time, I wore my new gloves for the very first time and while I confess to a bit of bittersweet nostalgia for my old ones, I also felt a surge of excitement. 

I can't wait to see what adventures Gracie and I will have with my new dog-walking gloves. 

^ Gracie before our first walk with my new gloves.

^Gracie after our first walk with my new gloves. 

To be honest, I don't think she cares whether my gloves have holes or not. 

All she knows is that when I put them on my hands, it's time for adventure.