They say be careful what you wish for

Seems I haven't blogged this week except to answer an email inquiry, so here is a bit of catchup. The shelter evening/night person left this week and so Monica organized some people to cover the shifts. She called me on Monday and I went over to close. Monica stayed late working and there was another volunteer there, so things went very smoothly. I told Monica that I had a committee meeting on Tues. but that I would try to come help Michelle close up on Tuesday. Tuesday, my committee meeting ran all the way to 8pm and by the time I got to the shelter, Michelle had done everything and was closing up early. I dropped off my keys and went on my way.

Anyway, on to the title story. I have been running with KD almost every morning (we walk some mornings) and we walk at least once more a day. This morning I decided I wanted to do a bit longer of a run. I went a way that we have gone before but when I threw in an extra loop of a couple of blocks and then came back to up to a neighborhood park that we usually run up the sidewalk across from. I decided we should run the dirt trail that goes on the outside of this park which is a very small loop (maybe 1/4 mile). We were running along and KD was lagging a bit sniffing. I turned up the trail to head back to do a second loop and I noticed that her shadow wasn't behind me. I turned around and she wasn't there. I wear a running belt and a leash that clips securely to the belt and I didn't know what was going on but that there was no KD. I headed back the trail about 15 seconds and I saw her down the street to my left. I know that you are not supposed to chase a dog in this situation, just drop down and call her in a high praising voice and tell her what a good girl she is and come. Well, I panicked and started running after her yelling her name and away she went. I chased her down, around the corner, down another block and another corner and another block and another corner and then she turned and I followed but hit a main street and didn't see her either way. Of course I am worn out by now and freaked out. I run up to the closest corner and look both ways but don't see her. We have doubled back to the trail now so I run up to it to see if she is there. I head back where I lost her and go the other way and still nothing. Now I am really freaked out and tired and figure that I have to go the other way and head home to get the car. I see a bike rider coming my way and I flag him down and ask if he has seen a dog matching KDs description from the way he was coming. He had!!! He tells me where he last saw her and I take off running. We are heading a bit toward home but are about 1.5 miles from home at this point. I flag down a car and get a ride about 1/2 mile to the street the bike rider described and I run along there looking and yelling. I pass a few people and none of them have seen her come by. At this point I am a little less than a mile from home and start running that way hoping she was heading home when the bike rider saw her. I run toward home hoping and thinking if she isn't there, I will get the car and go looking among the myriad of streets around here. As I turn the corner to my house, I see here running around the front yard waiting for me. The leash and clip have taken a beating but are still attached to her (the leash has a clip at each end,one for her collar and one for the belt). I tell her what a good dog she is and we go inside. 15 minutes later, my heart starts to slow. 3 morals to this story. 1) Be careful what you wish for (longer run), you may get it. 2) When you see your dog is loose, don't yell her name and chase her, just drop down and call her and tell her she is a good girl. 3) Check and double check the leash clip. I know it was clipped fine for the first mile or more because as she lagged behind or stopped off to pee, it yanked on me. I think the problem is that as the loop on the belt moved back around to the back, I slid the metal loop around to my left side to get her more where I wanted her and I must have partially unclipped it at that point. I will be double checking it and probably will add a secondary clip to the belt to keep it secured to me. There is a secondary loop on the leash so that you can clip the leash around a pole or something like that and I can slide that toward my end and clip from it to my belt ring for added security. I don't want a repeat of today. Thank goodeness she navigated her way home. She is wiped out now. I gave her a bath and need to get the car ready to take her with me to Petco adoption day soon.