'I can say things here I wouldn't say out on the more open social networks. It was trying to process something I was dealing with, but for the life of me I don't know what the topic was now'

I can identify with all of this.

I don't think this was it, but maybe it was.

My son and I take walks with the dogs every day, usually in the evening but not always. There are a few yards in the neighborhood with the old chain link fences near the street (usually corner lots) and dogs in them. We've started visiting them.

The first was Ginger, the gorgeous German shepherd diagonally across from us. We've met our neighbors a few times and see them around. They seem nice enough. But it makes me sad that they leave Ginger out all the time, and it seems like they rarely give her any attention. So when we leave the house she usually sees us on our way out. When we come back she waits, crouched down, almost as if she's hiding, and when we approach the fence she joyfully springs up at us. We greet her and giver her pets, and maybe sometimes a little doggie treat. I think that's the most social interaction she gets some days.

Then there's a dog we've decided to call Stone (after a character in a video game my son plays). He looks a little like my son's dog. Again, it appears he stays in the yard all the time and gets little, if any, attention. He approaches us and will accept a treat, but is wary of us. He let me pet him on the side of the face for the first time today. He never barks but he comes right to the fence. He seems to enjoy our company, but he's only slowly starting to trust us. We've never seen his people, even though we visit fairly frequently and will spend several minutes at the fence.

A few doors down from Stone is a pair of dogs that always come out and greet us. We've seen their people and in fact we know when they're out in the backyard because while the black & white terrier always comes out and barks at us, then sniffs noses at our dogs, then barks some more, the little white puff ball of a dog stays on the deck unless their people are out. Then it comes out to the fence too. I'm not sure if having its people around emboldens it, or it's trying to protect them. We wave at the people, they wave back, but we don't get any more forward than that.

Plus there's a new one that barks at us... my son has tried to approach it. It barked and barked but then when my son was within maybe ten feet of the fence, the dog ran around to the other side of the house. Talks a big game but it's apparently pretty shy.

There are other dogs that are seriously defending their turf and we don't bother with them. But for a few dogs, at least they get a little daily interaction.

On my walks in the forest with my friend and her two little dogs, Teddy and Parker, we see lots of dogs, and know many of their names (no idea of the owners' names, obvs, as it's all about the doggos). There's Major, the English bulldog, who comes lolloping over to play, Clementine, the Jack Russell terrier, Rebel, the gorgeous black German Shepherd (with his equally gorgeous owner), Cody, the slow, lumbering boxer (who Teddy is in love with), Basil, the big, gangly black labradoodle, Madge and Olive, the pugs, and I always smile when I see a little gunmetal grey French bulldog (whose name I don't know) with his owner, a big bruiser of a man. He and the dog look exactly alike!

But there's one man who walks a border collie and the dog is always on a tight leash, held right by his side. I've never seen him let his dog off for a run. Maybe the dog is a bolter but I've never seen him try to pull away, even though I can tell from how interested he is in Teddy and Parker that he'd like to play. I feel sad for him - 6,000 acres for him to run around in and he's made to walk, slowly, next to his owner.

I'm conflicted about leashes. I would love to let my dogs run, but I think at least one would bolt. She's usually aggressive with dogs she doesn't know, but not always. She's great with people, but other dogs... not so much.

A couple days ago we had a run-in with an off-leash mastiff mix... I don't think it was big enough to be full mastiff, but it was much larger than my 70 pound shepherd mix. It was dark and we saw another off-leash dog and while we were watching that, my little berserker was barking up a storm... I thought it was at the loose dog we saw. Then out of the night the black mastiff shows up and starts mixing it up with my two dogs. I finally punched it in the head as hard as I could and it backed off.

Our city requires all dogs be on leashes when out in public (except for actual dog parks), and a leash would have prevented that conflict. There was a person with the other dog; I'm not sure if he was walking both dogs off leash or just the other dog was his, but if they were both his... he really needs to leash them because he doesn't have control over them (the other one was running away from him).

I feel so bad for these dogs who stay alone outside and get no interaction. Dogs are so social. Thank you for visiting them. I've just gone to pet my dog and remind him that isais a very good boy. He really is.

It's nice that MeCha is still here.