September 28, 2010

Cinn's had a good few weeks.  Pretty uneventful, with trips to the puppy park and lots of pets.  She seems really happy overall.

She did have a bit of an incident on my birthday (September 14).  We always walk down to the mailbox, early in the morning that day.  It reminds me of one of the last really good walks that Finn had with us.  That day a few years ago, the three of us walked down to the mailbox, Cinn on her leash and Finn trotting freely beside us.  We went down to the park, looked over the escarpment at the empty golf course, and contemplated getting older.  A few months later, Finn got sick and had to leave us.

Well, this September 14, I slipped on her collar very loosely.  Cinn only wears any sort of adornment for walks now, and I don't always check to verify that it is on securely because she doesn't really pull or misbehave much.  As it was early in the morning, I was not fully aware when I leashed her up.  It soon became apparent to me that I had made a major error.

We headed down the steps together and down the street.  As we passed the first neighbour's house, Cinn slipped her leash off.  She trotted across the street to check out the neighbour's yard (they have a pair of dogs).  I called for her, but she wanted no part of being leashed again because her smell o vision had been triggered.  I walked quickly after her, but she danced a few steps ahead-- still smelling the ground.  I started to run, she smiled and glanced over her shoulder before running away.  I chased her down the road, not catching her until she nearly reached the mailbox. 

Breathless, I finally caught her with both hands around her neck.  I had to grasp her little body with both legs to get the leash back on, but smiled the whole way.  The little old girl still has a lot of miles left to go, and she gave me the best birthday present that she could with that confirmation.