Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was a glorious fall day. Sunny and warm but with a chill in the air. Dawn loved it. She absolutely enjoyed the cooler weather where she didn’t have to worry about the cold or the rain. She could just watch the gloriously colorful leaves and bask in the autumnal sun like a lizard on a rock.

Or she would if she wasn’t chasing after two very energetic golden doodles. Highly intelligent, endlessly friendly and affectionate but with more energy than a caffeinated toddler. Make it two doggos that were basically feeding off of each other when it came to ‘play-time’ and Dawn was unbelievably glad she was in a completely fenced in dog park because she wouldn’t put it past one of her charges to see just what was out in the wider world given two shakes of a stick. As it was she was currently playing fetch with the two dogs going after the brightly colored frisbee. There was a short game of chase between them when the slightly darker coated pupper caught the flying toy from the air before happily presenting it for another throw. Something Dawn was happy to oblige, both because she was getting paid to ‘walk’ the dogs and because she loved playing with them.

After several more throws her arm was getting tired, the dogs however were not. “One more ok?” She pleaded with the lighter colored one, the winner from the last round of ‘who catches the flying disk’. Dawn knew the dog had no idea what she was saying but that didn’t stop her from cleverly hoping the pupper somehow figured it out. Unfortunately the young woman should have stopped because not only was her arm screaming at her but her aim was horrid.

The frisbee streaked right towards a crowd of people, the two dogs chasing right after. “Look out!” Dawn shouted a warning but she had no clue if anyone heard her or even realized they were about to have two large dogs scattering them like a bunch of bowling pins.

“Oh no, oh god, oh man, I am so, so, so, so, so sorry,” Dawn panted as she came running after the dogs. “You aren't hurt are you? God, I’m sorry. So sorry.” She eyed the other female standing there, both pups waiting for the frisbee to be picked up and chucked once again, and saw no obvious injury or anything like that. “Sit!” The short woman told both dogs firmly, praising them when both furry bottoms hit the dirt.

“They aren't usually like that, I mean they are but they aren't. My aim was just so bad that time.” Dawn explained even as she quickly clipped the two leashes onto the dogs. “Yes, and no. I am their walker today. I was trying to let them play and get their energy out but it seems I was the one who got worn out.” She sighed and absently rubbed her sore shoulder even as she grinned, “I’m Dawn by the way. I really am sorry about my aim and their tank-like abilities of running things over. Are you really okay? Really?” The young woman was quite worried that the two dogs had done damage, something she couldn’t afford. It wasn’t like she was insured or anything. That's what she got for freelancing but who would have thought the dogs would run someone over? Or that her aim was that off?

Dawn chuckled before shrugging, “Oh I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to be playing fetch with the frisbee this long. I over worked my arm, hence the bad aim.” She still felt horrid about the whole mess but at least Inayah seemed to be really good about it. “I’ll have to figure something out,” The petite redhead looked at the two dogs, both of whom were fixated on the grounded piece of plastic. They were waiting for someone to pick it up and throw it. Something Dawn was weary of doing, especially given the predicament leading her to her current location.

She turned her gaze back to the woman the dogs had nearly toppled over. “Would you like to give it a try? They are really good about bringing it back,” Dawn assured her. She would just need to unleash the two dogs and pass over the frisbee, if Inayah agreed that is. If not she really would have to think of some way to get the dogs to run through their energy a bit more. Maybe they could all go for a jog or something.

“You likely have better aim than I do right now,” Dawn grinned and bent down to pull the leashes off of the dogs. Both puppers were aware of what was happening and was practically vibrating with excitement. As soon as the leashes were off and the frisbee was thrown both dogs were off like a shot, chasing the flying toy.

As the dogs raced like their lives depended on it Dawn straightened up and stretched. “Not all that regularly. Once a week give or take my schedule. They have another dog walker the rest of the week, I’m just the ‘weekend’ walker as it were. Dog walking, animal shelter, soup kitchen, school, and of course my actual temp job,” Dawn ticked off each job with her fingers, “I keep pretty busy so it's nice to get out and run around with the dogs. No hazard pay needed but I guess I should know my limits. It definitely can wear your arms out throwing the frisbee over and over again.” She gave a light warning even as the dogs came running back, the slightly darker furred dog the victor in the most recent fetch. “Repetitive motion and all that.”

“Oh I’m good. I like to keep busy,” Dawn grinned even as she shrugged. “And it’s not every day. Or even every week. The volunteer work is spread out between the jobs I actually get paid for and my school work so it balances pretty well.” It wasn’t a lie, it was just not the whole truth because she knew that while her ‘day’ hours were not so jam packed she didn’t have time for a decent meal, her ‘night’ activities were what kept her up the most. Although even that was a bit shaky especially when she had a particularly hectic week at school or any major tests and papers due. She was so close to graduating that she could taste it.

She would still have student debt for the foreseeable future but once she had that degree in hand it would all be worth it. She would be able to help people for her job during the day as well as at night. That was the goal. And Dawn was good at following through with her goals. So what if she was tired a lot or if she was eating quick and easy veggie options. She would do what she needed. It wasn’t like it was hurting anyone.

The young woman watched as the dogs pranced back with their prize in their mouth. “Besides, how can I say ‘no’ to cutties like these?” She proclaimed as the two animals returned, their tails wagging a mile a minute. They were having the time of their lives, that was for sure.