Gertrude’s anxiety

I love walking the dogs on campus during the weekends. The University of Minnesota campus is huge, and mostly abandoned on Saturdays.

It is also a gorgeous fall day. So to campus we went. We parked on the West Bank walked across the Washington Avenue bridge as I listened to MPR on the blackberry.

I notice several large groups of people on the East Bank and I assume that there is a football game or something. No big deal. I then see a large line just as I hear MPR news announcer say, “Lines already  forming the U of M campus for President Obama’s visit.”

Crap.

I try to avoid the massive line of people and head towards the gym…but that whole side of campus is cordoned off with police tape. So I end up in a narrow corridor between buildings that is filled with part of the massive line of people and only two feet of space to walk.

Harley doesn’t care about the people, but things get too claustrophobic for the Rottweiler. Gertrude stops and sits down. I am officially the asshole who inappropriately brought his big dogs to an event.

I smile, sweat, and try to drag the rottweiler along without seeming too animal-abusey. The Rottweiler isn’t having it. Everyone stares. The rottweiler then goes to the nearest guy and shoves her head in between his legs to hide.

Awkwardness ensues.

I keep smiling and eventually extricate the dog. The rest of the walk goes without a hitch, but I am flustered, sweaty, and deeply embarrassed. I’m so glad that I can spend the rest of the day hiding in my cubicle. Hopefully I’ve met my public fail quota for the month.

Update:  Of course I check my email today to find that the university sent out an email about this yesterday and set up a website with updates on congestion. Woops.