Lesson Learned

Our morning walk, off leash, went so well again and I was full of words of praise for GB.  We hadn't yet gone out in the early evening when Helper Dude and his lady came up to get the last two tractor implements.  Because they were working with truck, trailer, and another tractor, I didn't let GB out when I had to show HD where the one piece was hidden in the south pasture.  Mission accomplished, they drove off and I was left to hike back up the drive.

A brief sit-down and I was ready to take GB out for a stroll.  He was definitely ready, disappointed that he'd missed the action.  He'd been living up to his name the past few days so I didn't leash him up last night.  My mistake.  He is perfection personified in so many ways...all but one.  We got to the critical corner and he took off like a shot the wrong way, down the drive, across the road, and up Irish Acres.  He might as well have been deaf for all the attention he gave to my increasingly panicked calls to stop! and come!  One thing for sure, I couldn't follow him.  When he'd gone walkabout before in the mornings, he hadn't been gone long, so I went back to the house to wait.

Darkness fell.  One hour, then two.  I was a blithering idiot by then, and put out a "wanted" poster on FB, hoping someone would call.  To make matters worse, my phones seemed to be out of order.  I could have screamed when the phone company's service office was closed for the day.

Hope against hope, I left the porch light on and my head might have been on a swivel as I watched both doors.  Finally, at 10:30 p.m., a bedraggled, burr and sticker laden, tired GB showed up.  I was so relieved I could have wept.  Forget about scolding.  "You came back!  You came back!"  I gave him a quick brushing to get the worst of the stickers out.  He got a drink of water and then, like a naughty kid, put himself to bed.  After the adrenaline had drained, I followed not long after.

Off the leash?  I don't think so.  I learned my lesson, even if he hasn't.