Kissing Kamal

Henry Higgins | photo by Greg Mehlhaff

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Gus, Principal & Pack Leader of Pet Peeps, was right of course.  There was going to come a time when Peanut and all of her cute ephemeral ways would come crashing soundly to Earth; and it would be up to me with plastic baggie in hand to take care of it.  Well, there was certainly one way to find out if I was up for the challenge: I needed to take Peanut for a walk.

I went over to Scotty’s place later that day.  We were sitting on the couch watching Top Chef on the DVR and Peanut was curled up on the rug in front of the TV.  At some point, Scotty got up to finish doing laundry, and as I sat on the couch watching the Quick Fire Challenge, Peanut made her way to the door of Scotty’s place.

“Now’s my chance!” I thought; to walk Peanut and see if I could really do it.  “I’m going to take Peanut for a walk!” I yelled to Scotty, as I leaped up off the couch and out the door with Peanut and her leash before Scotty could even respond. Read more…

Chyna & Sable Hewlett | Photo by Derek Hewlett

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“So Kamal, when are you going to get a dog of your own?  This is the second time you’ve reached out for animal advice and I think you should bite the bullet and become a full-time owner.”

“Gus, the jury is still out on that one but in the meantime I’m content with seeing Peanut whenever I can.  So tell me, why won’t this dog crap in my backyard and is it something I should be worried about?”

“Before I tell you, promise me that you’ll come out for Pasta for Pets.  It’s a great fundraiser for Washington Animal Rescue League happening March 19^th at Eastern Market.  I’ll send you the invite on Facebook.” Read more…

It's Zoe! Photo by Jason Scott

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It was a beautiful early Saturday morning and my bed felt warm and lovely like it normally does on mornings when I don’t have to go to the office.  The light was starting to peak through the blinds in my bedroom and I rolled over a bit drifting back into a semi-slumber.

My hand came out from under the warm covers and Peanut saw it and came over to the side of the bed wagging her tail in anticipation.  I rolled over a bit more so I could curl up in the covers but still pet Peanut the way she liked: under the mouth, then down the top of her head, finally ending at her rump where she liked a good scratch.

Peanut and her owner Scotty had slept over twice before and everything had gone off without a hitch.  The first time she came over, Peanut sniffed around the entire place but was generally okay.  Except for having to put the trash can on a step ladder to prevent prying paws from dumpster diving, Peanut required very little dog-proofing for her overnight visits.

I petted Peanut for a couple more minutes until my internal coffee alarm clock went off.  Scotty was still fast asleep so I went downstairs to make coffee and Peanut followed.  She watched me while I made coffee then did something I had never seen her do before: she went to my back door and waited. Read more…

Maximus Prime | Photo by Jim Rosario

After regaining my composure, I asked Scotty why he thought that I didn’t like Peanut.

“Well, it’s just that you’re not really affectionate with her.” Read more…

Dating guys with pets has always been a challenge for me.  It is not that I don’t like pets because I’d actually like to have a dog of my own.  Unfortunately, I’ve had some bad experiences dating pet owners. Read more…