This is a splendid catch, Tom. I love the youngster's confident stride, though he seems too young to have been walking for very long. No sense of limitations inhibits him. The beautiful dog in the background seems like a symbol of those who take walking for granted. While it's no longer a big deal, neither does it provide the joy and excitement that the child is savoring. With his hat and confidence, the little one reminds me of Christopher Robin from A.A. Milne's poems. In particular, there's the one called "Disobedience," in which a naughty mother goes down to the end of town without dutifully informing her son.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/disobedience/
Your little fellow looks like he would have fetched his mother back!
