This morning was another adventure to add to The Puppy diaries. This happy-go-lucky puppy of mine is one-by-one whittling down the safe places I can let him run free.
Here is the love, romping on the frost-bitten baseball field of grass surrounded by fence at the local school. It’s a safe, enclosed place to bring the dogs to romp.
Correction, it was a safe, enclosed place to bring the dogs to romp.
Today, Columbus found a loophole. By accident. As he followed his nose to a smell that was beyond enticing. The smell was on the outside of the dugout, and he poked his head through the little bit of space between the dugout edge and the fence. He wasn’t quite close enough to the smell, so he stretched further, as I saw what was about to happen and tried to call him off.
Too late! All of a sudden his whole body popped through the small space into freedom outside the fence. And he took off. Right for the road.
I told Koda to wait, and ran after him, closing the gate behind me. Right across the street is the place we take him for training. I headed there. As I came nearer, I saw a clump of yellow. My heart leapt. It looked like it could be a dog on the side of the road. But I hadn’t heard any squeal of brakes, yelp of dog, bump of car and animal.
As I approached it, the clump of yellow became a bunch of dead foliage flopped on top of itself into a mound. Man, oh man, that was scary.
I called Columbus. He was nowhere to be seen. So I headed back across the street, in front of an oncoming car.
I’ve been hit by a car once in my life. Once is enough. Glad this was a school zone and the driver was watching out for the crazy lady.
Back at the school, Koda was laying down, waiting patiently for my return. I didn’t know what to do. It was a school, Columbus would probably eventually be drawn to kids at recess. Did I go report him missing to the police again? Did I drive down the road looking for him?
I decided to load up the car and then make decisions. And as I was doing that, Columbus rounded the bend and was back outside the fence.
Thank you, God, for that small miracle.
I got him back inside the fence, glad of the happy ending.
Koda wasn’t so happy though. She started chasing him and snapping at him. Basically, treating him like a lost sheep she needed to round back up. Only it sent him in the opposite direction from where he needed to be (back to me!) back towards his escape spot.
I yelled at Koda. I yelled for Columbus to come. I yelled again for Koda to stop.
I got them both safely back in the car. Drove home. Wondered when these Columbus adventures are going to stop.
Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky. My death by a thousand cuts.