She’s probably craving some female attention after being in the shelter with Tennison and her buddies.
“Sorry, girl. Bit of a boys’ club in my world.”
She ignores me, sniffing the trunk of a tree before dropping her quarters.
“Again? How much can one pup put out?” I say to Petal, who has shuffled to find the best spot, apparently, flat-out ignoring me.
An older lady walks past in her Lycra and windbreaker, glasses sitting on the headband that holds her mass of wiry grey hair at bay. She winks at me.
I smile back with a small wave. People are always friendly in this city. More than I ever thought they would be, growing up here.
Petal finishes up, and I shorten the leash and turn to head home.
“You’re going to pick that up, right?” one of the moms sitting on the closest bench says, her face dead serious.
Hell.
I run a hand behind my neck. I didn’t think to bring a baggie.
“Yeah, I don’t have a bag...” I utter, sweeping Petal up into my arms.
The woman stands, her friend taking her coffee from her as she does. She rummages through her tote and hands me a sandwich bag with what looks like the remnants of the sandwich it was once holding. “Use this.” She holds it out. “The bin is on the other side of the park. You might remember that for next time.”
I take the bag from her, and she gives me a forced smile before going back to her seat, her coffee, and her friend.
Christ.
I pad back to the tree and contemplate all the ways I don’t want to handle pup poop.
“Put your hand in and grab it up,” the woman calls, cupping her hands to make the sound travel better.
Geez.
I’m the most useless dog parent on the planet. Maybe Tennison has a point.
Putting Petal down, I slide my hand into the bag, bend, and pluck up the poop.Now what?
“Invert the bag!” the woman calls, laughter lining the last few syllables.
Gagging, I do as she says.
Good lord, who thinks pet ownership is fun?
They’re mad.
Inverting the bag, I twist it closed and shake my head at Petal. She shrinks down and ducks her head.
Instantly, I feel like shit. Shaming her for a basic fucking need.
Time to do better, Hammond.
“Come on, girl.” We cross the park without further incident and make a deposit in the round bin.
Doing the loop of the park, we stop every other step so Petal can smell the things she finds. Everything seems to befascinating to this girl. It’s kind of endearing. The innocence she has about the world. The complete trust she has in me already.
The timid, terrified pup I held the day we met is gone. If anything, she has become boisterous and unconcerned about my personal space. What’s mine is hers. I guess it’s nice to see the change.
The older woman in Lycra slows, panting as she glances to Petal. “First time?”
