Forest Hills From A Dog’s-Eye View

By Emmy Elfin

Full disclosure: This is the only neighborhood in which I have lived. However, I have walked the streets of Georgetown (don’t appreciate the cobblestones) and Cleveland Park (too many humans bustling about) and numerous other DC destinations, some more scenic, some less friendly.

Forest Hills, as any canine will tell you, has wonderful trees. There’s not a block in the area which has not been well marked and that makes every block an amazing olfactory experience. I hear talk about “tree and slope” that I don’t really understand, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the ground so I don’t worry.

In my eight or so years here, I have made a lot of friends (and several enemies, but concerns about libel keep me from mentioning names). My buddies are mostly rescue dogs, some of whom have very sad stories to tell, but they have put all that behind them. Occasionally, we accept pedigrees into our circle. Owners are generally peaceful and there’s an open exchange of ideas – not all about pet nutrition and medical conditions either.

We recently celebrated Sascha’s 15th birthday. She’s a Border Collie. I think she was 15 last year, too, but whatever, she’s looking good and we all got to eat Vera’s homemade dog biscuits while the humans enjoyed Scottish shortbread. Party time was 7:15 a.m.

But I was talking about the neighborhood and my privileged life here. My owners are retired and spend a lot of time at home. They have a pool, but it took a while for them to accept the fact that I am not a water dog and worry when anyone swims. I’m forced to run around the pool barking to ward off disaster. A few springs back, there was a pair of intruder ducks who liked to swim in the pool. Needless to say, I could not permit that. Didn’t see them last year.

I’m usually busy because I am determined to keep my home and the alley that borders it a low-crime area. Although we have the presence of the Secret Service patrols, due to the many embassy residences, I have taken upon myself the job of enhancing this patrol with my own EPS (Emmy Protection Service). No one comes up this alley without my sending out a low-tech alarm (barking). It’s exhausting, but apparently it works since we have never had an incident.

I also stay off Connecticut Avenue. I’m firmly opposed to buses and motorcycles. You won’t see me around when Rolling Thunder comes through!

Life is always interesting for me. Unlike many humans I’m not allergic to spring blooms and pollen so the sniffing is great. I remain on the lookout for ducks and deer, for who needs trouble?

PS: Politics and Prose, our excellent neighborhood bookstore is open to dogs and has a great selection of books to help owners understand the mind of a dog. I know “owners” is politically incorrect, but “masters” is even worse.