Rosie Posey. I weighed her, and she is 16.5 pounds. She barked yesterday, for the first time! That's a major milestone.

Here she is, surveying what's beyond the fence (Mt. View Cemetery, all Castleton dog's favorite place to walk). Which reminds me, shortly after Sophie died, Bob took Sam over to the cemetery for a walk, and a man was cutting trees and doing other maintenance. He told Bob the condition of the cemetery in terms of dog crap being everywhere is deplorable, and that they have been considering putting something in the Castletonian (village newsletter) about it. Then if things don't change, the cemetery will be off-limits to dog walkers.

They haven't done it yet, but I have noticed that it is much worse this past year for some reason. I'd assume it was the snow and cold causing people to rush along and be slobs, but this winter has been so mild that can't be it. Bob showed him his baggie and said, I always clean up after my dog. The next time, I went with him and Sam, took about 10 bags with me, and made it my mission to do "poop patrol" of the cemetery. I saw the guy doing maintenance, and he was smiling at us, the man with the wild dog and the woman scrambling after dog sh-t.

It was an enormous task. I got through about 2/3 of the cemetery that day, which is the entire old part, closest to our house. We rarely walk in the newer part, which is closer to houses, and I can't believe people would not clean up in the active burial area -- but maybe the conditions are deplorable in that section too. Then, when I resumed walking a dog in the cemetery after we got Rosie, I did it again, in the old part. It had been a couple of weeks since my last patrol, and the number of loads was quite a few!

What is wrong with these people? I am not sure whether sociopaths can change behavior -- so I won't waste an appeal, but my proposal to all who walk a dog and clean up after him or her: when you see another leaving, clean it up. If you can't bring yourself to do this for all you encounter, then resolve to clean up just one extra. If everyone did this at Mt. View, I think the problem would be solved. Until then, though, it looks like cemetery poop patrol might be my job. I don't care; I don't want it to be off-limits to my dogs, and if this is what it takes, so be it.

Sam thinks he spies a dog walker up in the cemetery. Clean up you slobs!

TB/TC isn't sure what all the fuss is about. Just don't be late with dinner, OK?