Pumpkins

Cute little Fenway is afraid of pumpkins. The first time his fear was realized I was walking him around our small Mercer Island neighborhood (which is also the “downtown”) and needed to stop at the Quality Food Center (QFC). I don’t usually tie Fenway up outside of stores if I’ll be inside long – the dog is too cute not to be stolen and because Fenway is so friendly he would go home with just about anyone. However, I leave him outside occasionally when I’m just running in for a few things.

On this late September evening Fenway stopped in his tracks halfway across the parking lot. I cheerfully said “Let’s go!” and gave him a little tug on his harness. He took a few steps. Stop. “Fenway, let’s go!” Tug-tug. A few more steps. Stop. He locked his little puppy legs and fixed his eyes on something. I looked ahead of us and saw piles and piles of pumpkins around the entire store. Large pumpkins, small pumpkins, orange pumpkins, white pumpkins. He didn’t want to go anywhere near them. After my short stop inside Fenway was very happy to leave and put as much pavement in between him and the mountains of squash.

In the interest of trying to find out how Fenway thinks I’ve taken him back to QFC a few times. The second time Taylor was with us and we tried a different approach to QFC, attacking from the other side. Again, halfway across the parking lot Fenway stopped and locked his legs up at the site of the pumpkins. Taylor was able to carry our 55lb. baby over to the pumpkins. Fens shook when they got close. He wasn’t interested in investigating the pumpkins even from the safety of Taylor’s arms. When I tied him outside he stood at the end of the leash, afraid to get too close.

I can’t seem to remember my camera to record evidence of these stories, I don’t usually take it for mundane trips to the grocery store, but I’m determined to capture one of these moments on film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin