Hello – my name is Faith. I am a dog. Just a regular dog. I have no special skills to speak of (other than my ability to form words and articulate thoughts onto a computer). Other than that… I’m just a regular house dog. I like what most house dogs like. I like eating (oh my… do I LOVE to eat!), sleeping, and I enjoy making [JH1]Jim happy. He is the center of my universe, and I think he thinks the same of me.
Photo provided by the author
The author stops to call attention to two empty nips discarded along her customary walk.
I live in West Suffield. My master gets me out breathing fresh air on a regular basis. Our most common outage is the daily two-mile walk after dinner, but sometimes we spice things up by going to college campuses, nursing homes, and the airport (not to travel, just to meet and greet the travelers). That’s where I was today. People appear genuinely happy to see me, and they say I’m beautiful.
Anyway… I transgress. Back on topic.
I’m writing you because I’m concerned about what I see on my daily walk. I see (well, mostly smell) a lot of things. But what’s most noteworthy is the volume of “nips” on the side of the road. For those not familiar with this Scottish term, it’s synonymous with an airplane bottle of alcohol. Within a two mile stretch of Phelps Road and Copper Hill Road, Jim collected over 210 nips within six feet of the road edge (see the photos). This is me with two roadside nips at my paws.
Ironically there aren’t too many conclusions that you can draw from this unfortunate condition. We certainly don’t know who, why, what age group, nor can we ascertain if this is last month’s trash or last years, for that matter. We could apply scientific principles to gain more accuracy, but it doesn’t change the bottom line: this is a problem.
I’d like to think that the “drink ‘n toss” originates from the passenger seat, but my canine gut tells me it’s a lone driver on a routine commute with a drinking addiction. That’s just a s”wag” on my part (pun intended…).
There have been a few days of rain so I’ve not been out on the roads, but tonight I was out and it was nice to see the clear road edge that doesn’t constantly remind me of the dangers I’m exposed to every time I go for a walk. But as certain as the sun will rise tomorrow, the bottles will begin to appear.
If you are wondering if he picked up any additional bottles tonight, he did. Two Smirnoff vodkas, one cinnamon Fireball, and a Jack Daniels. I think it’s time to slather on the tick medicines and take my walks in the woods (where it’s safe).
Respectfully Submitted,
Faith