happy day

Today was a good day. It was warm. The sun shined for a while. It rained heavily and smelled like spring rain for a while. People were smiling. What more could a person want? I really didn't want to go to work but I forced myself. I am glad that I did because I did feel better once I got into the swing of work (I woke up really congested and coughing).

After work, I took Caineal for a long walk. She has had more energy lately so we have been going for one walk that is at least 20 minutes. I am starting to think that she will make it to the park this spring/summer after all. That alone makes me happy. Anyway, one lady commented on what a nice Jack Russell Terrier I had. Toward the end of the walk, there was a guy walking his little black dog. Caineal was sniffing a tree so she didn't notice the other dog. The owner of the black dog came up to her and sniffed her. Caineal sniffed back and was nice for about a minute. Then she tensed and scared the other little dog. Anyway, the owner of the other dog seemed nice and it was good to see more dogs around again. He seemed to want to talk to me more but didn't say anything. It was just the usual, "Is he an old dog?" "Is he a boy dog?" Why do people always assume dogs are boys and cats are girls?

Anyway, I digress as usual. When crossing the Ha'Penny Bridge to go home, one of the homeless guys tried to whistle her to come by him so he could pet her. I asked the guy if he wanted to pet her (many of the homeless people on the Ha'Penny and O'Connell bridges are mean to her). I brought her closer to the guy but she was really tense. She stayed nicely but was quite tense and kind of cuddled into my leg a bit. After chatting with him for a couple minutes, Caineal wanted to go. I feel bad for the guy. He said he has been homeless for 7 years. He commented on how lucky Caineal was to have gotten adopted and taken off the streets. She is.

I wonder, what has made this man homeless for so long. If he is there again, maybe I will ask him. I would like to help the homeless but am not sure what organizations are available here and what is really the best way. I have been reading the blogs of two men who are homeless in the U.S. One has been homeless for a very long time, the other recently is homeless. The guy who has been homeless for many years has mental health issues. It seems like quite a few of the homeless here have drug abuse issues. There also seems to be violence on the streets at night. Every now and then I see bruises on their faces. I am not sure if they get into fights with each other but I doubt it. I think it is more likely that people are mean to them since John has observed this.