Ridiculous Sometimes Works
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Dog
By Vicki L. Julian

In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.
~Edward Hoagland

Like most young pups, my little Beagle/Jack Russell mix grand-dog was an escape artist extraordinaire — from his harness, from the gate around my patio, and from me. While most people might be able to catch a runaway puppy, I use a mobility scooter, and its maximum speed is only four miles per hour — no comparison to Dan, who seemingly could go from zero to sixty in five seconds if something caught his eye. Fortunately, while doggie-sitting one day, I discovered a surprising alternative to speed for catching him.

When we returned from a walk, I opened the door to my gated patio to let Dan out to get a drink and then went about preparing lunch. A few minutes later, I realized he had not returned inside. He was nowhere. Gone! While fretting and pondering what to do, I glanced out my kitchen window and spied him running loose in the common area between my community’s townhomes in pursuit of a rabbit. I gasped. It would not have been such a concern except that I am just a half-block away from four lanes of busy traffic, and I silently prayed his prey would find a safe haven in the opposite direction. (Keep reading)