[Dailydrool] Midnight walks

[Beverly Szaton]

I never let go of the leash!!!
Nevertheless Bill's  idea was wonderful and I wish I could walk the dogs in
the middle of the night when I cannot sleep. (Not around here, not any more.
I used to.) And what a lovely place he has to walk..

At a dog show in Milwaukee I was loading the Van by myself. Not wanting to
leave Mitchell alone in the buildling I brought him with. This was in the
early days when I had not yet caught on that you leave a crate set up in the
Van at all times and buy other crates for motel rooms, the dog show site,
friend's bedrooms when they are nice enough to let you stay at their homes
etc etc etc etc. (Ask a show person to borrow a crate sometime. Chances are
you have choices, we have so many.)
Anyway I put the leash under my foot, but in leaning forward to arrange
things must have lifted my foot because when I turned back, Mitchell was
gone.
There we were in an underground garage, people pulling in and out in huge
Vans, with my shortleg loose!! Panic was the instant response because on top
of all that, he was notoriously shy.
I flung myself into the traffic (and there was plenty) waving arms and
SCREEEEEMING "LOOSE DOG LOOSE DOG STOP STOP STOP" and these were show people
and they all slammed on brakes and I, raving and in tears already, looking
frantically in the semi-dark and some woman rolled her window down and
waved, pointing and now others-- and I charged headlong in that direction
and

there was Mitchell peeing on a post, looking relaxed for the first time in
two hours....leash trailing along behind.....

Do you hug them or punt them into the next county? I hugged. I laughed. I
waved at everyone, thank you, thank you for stopping. Engines started and
huge vans and RVs began backing out, people waving. Nice ending, good
ending. I put a crate together holding the leash wrapped around my wrist and
boosted him in, wishing I had a padlock.

I never put the leash under my foot, and I never let go.  And I have never
gotten over that. As I wrote it I could feel my stomach clench---

MomPerson to Nigel, Llewis, Conley and Cooper and Ch.Mitchell, ATB
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