The Zing connect: Trains and high-end restaurants

Written last night:

Dear Friends,
Today I left Zing alone and he didn’t bark. He was on a tranquilizer (clonidine — the smallest dosage). I left him for 10 minutes, as Karen the UC Davis veterinarian directed. I left my iPhone videocamera on the table, aimed at Zing, to record sounds and (maybe) his movements. There was no sound of barking. As for movements, all you can see in the video is an empty chair. I think Zing went to the door; he was there when I returned, but there were no signs of scratching on the wood. Tomorrow I’m supposed to give him two clonidine pills and then repeat the video exercise. I report to Karen what’s happening. 

This is supposed to be short-term, to break Zing out of his barking frenzy habit.
I’ve got to admit that Zing breaks the ice when we encounter people on our walks. People would not talk to me if it weren't for Zing, and sometimes they do ignore me and only talk to Zing. 

For instance, on our bedtime walk today, we met Mary, whose dog came from a shelter and had suffered similar barking issues. Mary needed to leave her alone when she went to work. She told me she’d used a citronella collar, which emits an unpleasant sound and smell each time the dog barks. Two barks and her dog was cured; Mary leaves for work in peace now. She offered me the collar, in case I want to try. I was tempted, but, no, Zing and I are going to follow Karen’s (slower and possibly more humane) techniques. 

Then there’s Jody, a soft-spoken person who walks a service dog on weekend mornings. We usually exchange a few words. This morning Jody told me he and his wife had had dinner with a friend last night at The French Laundry, the famous restaurant in Yorkville, CA., in the Napa Valley. (I looked it up — $310/dinner. It is supposed to be superlative, maybe the best restaurant in the world) Jody said he works on trains, and his duties include hospitality, and his wife has always loved food, so they jumped at the chance to eat there with their friend, a “food professional." The pork was best, he said. People here seem to love food and be willing to drive a couple hours and pay a lot for a near-heavenly experience. 


Jody works for Siemens, which he said is about finished building the trains for the new high-speed line from Miami to Orlando in its factory here in Sacramento. Jody will be riding the first train from Sacramento to Chicago, and then it will go on to Florida without him. Clark was passionate — about this train, and he would have loved to talk to Jody. But instead, this morning it was me, discussing high-speed rail with this expert. Then our dogs nudged us in different directions. 

Love,
k