The Ruff Days Are Over

I have grown up in Atlanta all my life, but let me tell you something. The weather never ceases to surprise me. I’ve seen one to two-inch snow keep me out of school for over a week. I’ve seen rain for months on end. I’ve seen 75 degree weather at Christmas time. Hell, I’ve probably laid out a time or two on Christmas Eve (don’t hate, you would too if you we’re bored in 76 degree weather).

Despite my experience with the cold weather, I’ve never been particularly fond of the cold. Don’t get me wrong; I love wintertime, just not getting frost bitten walking a mile to class. My thoughts: If it’s going to be 19 degrees outside, it might as well snow. Snow is happy. Snow makes school/work be cancelled. What’s not to love?

Meanwhile, the weather in Athens has bounced back and forth, up and down, and all around for weeks. One day, it’s 65 and sunny, the next, its 30. Yikes. 

The bipolar weather can tend to get in the way of things for me. Example A: My body does not know what the heck is going on. I’m not kidding! I have been sick on and off for about 3 weeks. When the temperature drops, sickness just travels through the school. I have the immune system of a kumquat, so naturally I’m the first to get sick. Example B: I get seasonal depression (it’s a thing, I promise). You know what I’m talking about here. The temperature drops, it’s cold and dreary outside, you don’t leave the house, for days.

I was experiencing a particularly harsh case of both of these examples this week. It was freezing outside, I was sick, tired, and glued to my bed. I was down to the last can of soup in the pantry, the fridge was empty, and I had not seen broad daylight for at least 36 hours. I felt like the wicked witch of the west, except with sun. Show me sun, I will melt.

Here’s the catch to this situation. I have a dog. Actually, it’s a puppy. His name is Simba, and he is a thirteen-week old cavapoo (cavalier king Charles spaniel - poodle mix). I bought him on somewhat of a whim (**Disclosure: I do not recommend this for any future dog owners; do your research**). For anyone that doesn’t know this already, puppies are a lot of work. They wake up at 5 AM crying, only to give you the realest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen, begging to get out of that crate. Wham. Stabs you right in the heart.

Want to know what’s really hard? Taking care of a puppy when you are sick, fatigued, have piles of work for your classes, and it’s absolutely miserable outside. But, one look into those eyes, and I realized I had to do something. Simba had been cooped up for hours, maybe even days, and I realized I needed to go wear him out. I’m not talking about your every day walk (we do that regularly), I’m talking big time here. I needed an activity that would knock him out from the moment we got home, to the next morning when I would wake up.

There it is, my next cheap thrill. What’s better than quality time with a puppy? Especially when you already have one. The weather actually opened up on Superbowl Sunday, and I saw the golden ticket.

Naturally, Google was the next move. I looked up “how to wear out a puppy”, “large fields in Athens, GA”, and “Do puppy sedatives exist?” (Kidding! Kind of…). Google to the rescue! The answer: The UGA Intramural Fields.

I went to Instagram and searched "UGA Intramural Fields", I found the location and was sold. With pictures like those, what dog-loving person wouldn't want to go. I also checked out the UGA recreational sports website and twitter account, and found a ton of random fun activities that are hosted through UGA  (*hint hint* coming soon). 

So, my roommate Caroline and I decided to take him out to the fields. Had I been able to breathe through my nose, I might have even tried to walk the trails with him. But alas, the Superbowl was an hour and a half away and I was practically a zombie. We brought a volleyball, for us, and Simba’s favorite squishy ball for him to chase after. Let me tell you, I think he was in utter doggy bliss.

First off, he had never been in a field so big (one of their many fields accessible). Moreover, he loves people. I mean everyone. He must have stopped every, runner, biker, and athlete within a visible radius, just to say hello. Walking with him downtown has become quite the struggle, as you can imagine. While we thought we were wearing him out, we wound up chasing after him for over an hour. I couldn’t move by the end of it, and there he was, tail wagging and ready for more play time.

Luckily, Super Bowl game time came around, and Simba was one happy, tired pup. I gave him a bone and a blanket and he did not budge until 8AM the next morning.  I had gotten a full night's sleep, and so had my dog. Mission accomplished.