TOO OLD TO RUN

This morning I had made an appointment to have Rufus and Jesse groomed and drove them to PetSmart in Hundred Oaks Shopping Center. The area is full of trucks and heavy equipment due to a complete renovation of the mall. It's always a pain to maneuver around all of that, but this morning it was particularly harrowing.

I had managed to get both dogs into the car, dragging Rufus because he is always suspicious when we go anywhere in the early mornings. He knows it's either to the vet or to the groomers, both of which he dislikes intensely. This morning he refused to get into the car, period.

Jesse, on the other hand, was excited and jumped right in. So when we arrived at our destination, I picked Rufus up and got Jesse out of the car on her leash. But she saw where we were and didn't want to budge. I made the mistake of pulling her and the collar slid right over her head. Then she took off.

I threw Rufus back in the car and took out after her running and calling her, praying that no car or truck would hit her. Finally I cornered her at a fence and was able to pick her up. When I turned around there were three others behind me, all from PetSmart, chasing along with me. They had seen through the window what had happened and were ready to help out.

Whew!! What a scary experience!! But I learned a couple of things in the process: 1) pick Jesse up next time, and 2) I'M TOO OLD TO RUN!!!