Sunrise 7:20: Sadness and unexpected joy

The Dawn Joggers are confronting the realities of an aging pet. For the first time since Cassie entered their lives 14 years ago, they spent a night [at home] without her. She's been having trouble with her back legs - couldn't get in and out of the house or navigate around it, especially on the hardwood floors. So in consultation with the vet they decided the wisest thing to do was hospitalize her. It was the first thing the DJs thought about this morning, and she was much on the female DJ's heart when set out for a morning walk.

Pets and their owners have been a steady part of the Dawn Jogging community. Judy and Zaire, the Vizlu; the companions who walked their dogs each morning near the Stanford mausoleum, Troon the red tri Aussie, and his Pike's Peak running owner; the elderly woman (who had spent her entire life living on the Stanford campus) with her brood of German Shepherds, mutts and Jack Russell puppy. They'd mourned Zaire's death and fear the worst, having not some many of the regulars for years, particularly the older ones.

Hence this morning unexpected joy. Another campus regular - always spotted with his two white dogs - had been absent for months. But there he was this morning, making his way in the same awkward manner, with both dogs (the smaller is obscured just in front of him). A good way to rejoin the morning patrol...