Thursday, June 3

Grazing, along Butler Street

I admit it. My dog is a beggar. And a schmoozer. And a flirt.

She's also hard-headed. Lately this has led to an interesting turn of events.

No longer does she want to walk by the river. Bunnies? Boring! Arsenal Park? Been there, she says, done that!

What is her preferred route these days? A stroll down Butler Street. It's a time-consuming -- and calorie counting -- exercise, I can assure you.

Minerva may be a mutt, but she's had a discerning palate since the day I met her -- at the pound. Concrete. Iron bars. Dry food. It's a wonder she survived.
When I brought her home, she refused to eat dry dog food. I refused to feed her commercial canned dog food. We settled on The Honest Kitchen. Topped with a little grass-fed beef, some fa-fa-fava beans, a dollop of cottage cheese and a soupçon of cherries. Yum! (OK! She's spoiled. But she's had a hard life. So I indulge her occasionally sometimes every chance I get.)

A year ago when we first moved to Lawrenceville, she was delighted to watch the ducks by the river or search for a squirrel at the park. Today, she insists that we head up Butler. Dozen. Scones. With bacon. Minerva waits outside, tied to the tree. Happily. (This is a dog that hates to wait.)

In interest of full disclosure: I too am partial to  woof down Dozen's scones. But Minerva gets half the scone before we arrive at Frankie's, where she drags her feet, nose high in the air. Sniffing. Hoping. Praying. Hot dog. Hot dog. Hot dog. Well, come on! Canine or human, it's hard to find a patch of pavement in Lawrenceville with a better aroma.

By the time we get to Espresso a Mano, Minerva is ready for a cinnamon twist. I'm ready for espresso. I need fortification for the rest of our excursion.

Minerva stops to schmooze at Sugar (go figure!), and with the people waiting for tables at Coca, then we plow on.

She bats her eyes at me as we reach the Deli on Butler. (Boar's Head turkey!)

She leans her full body weight toward the doorway to Dandelions (4108 Butler) not to browse for a new wreath, but because she knows it's a place where dogs get treats.

She demands to visit Wild Card, not to play pinball but because the people there fuss over her and coo and tell her what a pretty girl she is. (Well, she does have a very pretty face. They can't help but love her!)

Then we shoot up to Perk Me Up, where Minerva is ab.so.lute.ly determined to get a goodie. If I'm in a hurry that day and we don't stop, she stages a sit-in. Blueberry! Muffin! Cookie! Blueberry! Muffin! Cookie!

By this time, you think she'd be satisfied, but no. Think again.

A few doors down and she's come to a full halt. Butler Mart (4417 Butler). Dog biscuits. She hunkers down. And waits.

Pretty soon, we'll have another stop. La Gourmandine  bakery (4605 Butler).

Sigh.

No comments:

Post a Comment