Put Your Dog on a Leash

    There you are, enjoying your favorite singletrack at Mount Local Nature Preserve. The air is crisp, the skies are clear, and you’re picking your way around the trail’s rocks and roots like the nimble mountain goat you are. Life is good. Then, all of a sudden: dog!

   The creature, unbound and apparently alone, has careened around a bend and is barreling toward you, eyes wild and tongue out. In a flash, it’s darting around your feet, and you’re performing a little jig to keep from stumbling.
   The Dance of the Unleashed Dog.

   As you mince and prance, you try to process what’s happening. First, you’re stunned. (Scientists call this the WTF stage.) Then you’re annoyed, and then you think to yourself, Hold up—didn’t I see a sign at the trailhead saying that dogs should be on leashes?

   Yeah, you probably did. Such signs are common. So are dog owners who ignore them.

    For the record, let me stress that I am a dog person. My wife and I have a ten-year-old shepherd mix, a sweet but not-so-bright boy named Cooper, who we raised from a puppy. Cooper smells like Fritos, and I love him. I delight in meeting new dogs and, with their owners’ permission, rubbing their ears. (The dogs’ ears, not the owners’.) Back when I had a car, it had just one bumper sticker: a white oval with the word “WOOF.” In short, I am pro dog. Yes. All the way.

Read more...

___
Have fun...!