Escaped!

We live not far from the most dangerous highway in the state. Because we're only five hundred feet from Meridian, we don't let our dogs loose, even on our property. Willful Delilah and exuberant Sugar cannot be trusted to come when called when there are so many exciting things to see and chase. That Makes that street a really big concern for us here.

Delilah and Sugar are either on leash or chained nearby wherever we're working outside. This way both dogs are right there close and keeping up on all the action without threat of getting distracted and working their way towards the deadly highway.

Even with all our precautions sometimes sh*t just happens and one or both dogs escape. Bouncing off the door has become great sport for both since they've learned that sometimes if they hit it just right, they are sprung from the house and free to roam at will.

Needless to say, such escapades cause a near heart attack for me. I have visions of a beloved dog splattered all over that highway. This dog just happened to be well mannered and always came when called but somehow he found himself victim of that road. I can only imagine what might happen to Delilah or Sugar.

Of course, neither dog can understand the dangers of that street. They think our frantic attempts to catch them are quite the game. Luckily we have not often had this occurrence but when we have, Sugar is really the worst dog to catch.

While the playful boxer has only escaped a few times, she has made a run for it on those occasions. Mostly she likes to visit the farm down the road which thankfully is the opposite direction than the deadly road.

A couple of months ago Delilah and Sugar got Lindsay tangled up in their leashes and Sugar managed an escape. By the time Lindsay got back to her feet, Sugar was gone, headed off towards Meridian. Luckily for us, she stopped to visit the new puppy at the corner and was captured by the mail lady before ever getting to the deadly road.

Today, at feeding time while Dave and Lindsay were putting on their layers of clothes getting ready to head to the barn, Sugar tested the back door. The draft blowing through the house was our first hint that she was gone. Everyone panicked as we realized Sugar had made her escape because it was rush hour. The most dangerous time of the day on Meridian.

When we burst into the back yard, Sugar was spotted running her famous circles in the back pasture. Running for the sake of running is big sport to Sugar. She glanced at Dave and Lindsay as they called her..........but she just kept on running..........around.........and around...............and around.

When Dave got close tp Sugar the sassy boxer snorted a bit before deciding it was a good time to stop. Then she came right up to Dave like getting caught was her idea.

This is a FIRST, I can tell you. The pooch has never been "caught" so easily. Her even white markings were covered in mud and she panted like a cougar had been chasing her. Sugar was content to be back on the leash and I could begin to breathe and get my blood pressure back where it belonged. All I can say is it's a good thing we've been brushing up on her "come" cue all week.