Walkin' the dogs

Dog walkers are fascinating to me! I have no idea how they lead a pack of large dogs across 11 busy lanes of traffic, how they remember which dog lives in each building, and what they do with 15 dogs in inclement weather. As a kid, our childhood dog, Paws, would take off after squirrels and literally drag me through the park. I'd end up at home with grass-stained pants and shirt vowing to never walk another dog--and that was just one medium-sized mutt!
We have a large dog park nearby. Not an enclosed dog play area, but a park overrun with dogs. It's the preferred social spot for the walkers, who have placed stakes all over the park to tie up small packs of pooches. Just 5 or 6 walkers can mean 80+ dogs sharing space. Most dogs sleep in the sun or run and play, and plenty bark and play-fight, too. Not a bad way to spend the day, if you don't mind the smell.

The walkers hang out and chat for several hours. They drink their tea or kick around a futbol. Then one by one, they reattach all of their dogs to their mega leash and head back towards the tall buildings, where I assume they drop off dogs at their owners' apartments.