Prior to this, I have reserved my Awesome Person posts for people, but now I have realized my short-sightedness. By making it only exclusive to one species, I have limited myself in a terrible way. How could I have been so foolish as to think that humans were the only ones who deserved my 'awesome' recognition? Well, the me who made that decision is no more! Therefore, I'm more than happy to introduce to you my first ever Awesome Dog post!

I first met this dog, whom I have decided to call Fred, during one of my hikes to the big TV tower on a hill overlooking Tbilisi. I was walking along, staring off into space as I often do, when all of the sudden, I felt something brush against my hand. I looked down, and to my surprise, I saw a large, furry, canine standing by my side. He had no collar and since there were no houses around, I concluded he was a stray. However, he seemed friendly enough* and didn't smell as bad as I did at the moment, so I decided to pet him for a little while, which he enjoyed.

*I chose the name Fred because Fred the Friendly Dog has a nice sound to it.

Some time later, I crossed the street to a small park that leads into the ascension to the tower, and to my surprise, Fred followed. I sat down on an old wooden bench, somewhat worn away by time, and Fred sat down next to me (although he chose to sit on the ground). I then picked up a stick off the ground and tossed it, attempting to play fetch, but Fred didn't seem to understand the concept. Nonetheless, his dog smile indicated he was still enjoying my company.

After a while, I figured it was about time to start my climb, so I stepped onto the path leading upwards out of the urban environment into nature. Fred followed, keeping my pace without any difficulty despite the incline and terrain. Needless to say, I was impressed. This continued for the next 20 minutes or so, but unfortunately all good things come to an end. Fred saw a bird and ran off, chasing it into the wilderness. I waited, but he did not return. That was the last I saw of Fred.

That being said, there is always hope for a reunion. I have now made it a daily ritual to do this hike, thus opening up the possibility of another encounter. Regardless of what happens from here on out though, I have now made it my priority to befriend as many stray dogs as I can. So here's to Fred the Dog!

BE LIKE FRED: Be awesome and make friends with hairy strangers like me.