My golden retriever Freeway loved garbage day with great fervor. She relished the ritual we developed for the task. To begin with, she got to be off-leash. That was a rare treat for her. She pranced alongside me as I rolled the bin to the street, and on its return trip after collection. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and garbage day became less a chore and more a little celebration for me.
Freeway is gone now, and today’s canine companion is my blue heeler Buddy. He loves garbage day, too, but it’s an entirely different ritual now.
Buddy gets an early morning walk each day. It’s his smell-the-roses stroll, and accordingly he has to leave his “messages” all up and down the block. He piddles on every utility pole, tree trunk and pile of tree trimmings he sees. I’ve actually counted him lifting a leg more than 18 times in as many minutes. He apparently has a lot to say.
But garbage day lifts his game to a whole new level. Now, in addition to light poles, trees and the like, we also have garbage bins on the street at every house. And he feels it his solemn duty to bless each and every one. It’s exhausting, funny or infuriating, depending on my mood at the moment.
No matter how you look at it, though, my garbage day continues to be a more uplifting experience than you might think. At least it beats the real housework.