There are some things I’ve done that I just want to smack myself. A few days ago I had one of those stupid moments.

So Holly and I were out for our after dark walk. Everything was all well and good, another good ending to a perfectly normal day and relatively peaceful walk. Now, usually when we get about a half block away from home I unleash Holly, make her wait, and then release her to sprint home. She loves to run so much, it’s one of the high points of her day. I can always see the house when I release her so I’ve never had a problem with it… until now.

So the Princess and I were crossing the street towards our house when I see this person coming. I start to panic a little, but not too badly so I quick unleash Holly and give her the release cue. Problem is that although I wasn’t panicked enough to have an attack I wasn’t thinking straight and forgot to check the immediate street area for squirrels and cats.

A cat was sitting right in front our driveway. If it had just sat there Holly would have been intriuged, but wouldn’t have done anything more than sniff it. Unfortunately it sprinted off and Holly went right off after it. She ran off across the street and between two houses into the alley behind it. I was calling her, but she didn’t slow down.

I raced after her, but I wasn’t sure what to do once I got to the houses where she disappeared. To go between them would result in the owner getting really angry (cranky person lives there) and I don’t want to go around and risk Holly not being able to find me. I just stood there calling for a few minutes.

I can’t even describe just how wonderful it was when I heard the click of the motion-activated light in the back of that house. Holly peered around the corner at me, and came slinking back. She was acting like she expected me to hit her or be angry. I was just relieved that she’d come back relatively quickly, within a minute or two of running off.

After the adrenaline rush wore off I had a massive panic attack, but it was well worth it to have my Baby Girl back. So, long story short, I’ll be double and triple checking the sidewalk before letting her have an offleash sprint again.

Until Later,

Kat & Holly