Opinion: A dog, a neighborhood and a different way of seeing (via latimesopinion)
My chow-shepherd Casey and I have walked the same streets for almost 15 years. Every morning, every night, seven days a week, rain or shine. Like most city dogs, Casey enforces this clause of the human-canine contract with meaningful looks, insistent pawing and a snout-thrust to the laptop that allows no dissent.
Still, the ritual has shifted some. Many familiar canine faces have vanished, and Casey’s painful shuffle tells me that our time together is short.When I tell people about the pocket Westside neighborhood where I live, I always say I’ve never known or felt so deeply connected to a place. I realize now that’s not because my neighborhood is special. It’s because of Casey.
The dogs in turn brought me into the lives of dozens of human neighbors. There was Frank, whose parents’ lives were ruined by the Cultural Revolution; Dan, the dogless dog-lover who drinks beer with friends outside his apartment, a giant jar of treats at his side. Some have become real friends, like Michelle, who came via Ava, a Great Dane mix and his sweet giant pack-mate Baxter. These people watch for me, ask after me, worry if I don’t show.
In L.A., 15 years is a long time. My tech-adjacent neighborhood is shifting, its 1940s bungalows giving way to large, white “modernist” boxes, its Subarus being replaced by Teslas. I feel the new world most acutely in the passing of the generation of dogs that first anchored me here. Val, Sarah and Blue are all gone. When Ollie died, his owner walked through the neighborhood crying, hiding Ollie’s rubber balls in bushes for other dogs to find.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Stylish Jeans-and-Top Outfit I'm Wearing Wear to Work, Dinner, and BeyondFrom that ping of excitement when a newly purchased piece makes its way into your wardrobe to rediscovering old favorites and styling them in different ways,
Read more »
Seven Natural Ways to Lighten Up Your Hair ColorDitch your hair salon and chemical products to lighten up your hair with seven different natural ways.
Read more »
Dog the Bounty Hunter Struggled to Watch Beth's Scenes on New ShowDog the Bounty Hunter will be seeing his new show for the first time Wednesday night like the rest of us.
Read more »
Tennessee woman killed after attack by 5 dogsOne of the dogs was shot and killed by deputies, and the other dogs were euthanized.
Read more »
Opinion | The Rules of Geopolitics Are Different in AsiaFrom WSJopinion: Americans are increasingly agreed that foreign policy should focus on Asia, but are still split on how to go about it, writes wrmead
Read more »