My good leash acted up yesterday. It jumped out of Mom’s hands when we were walking back from getting the mail. So, I told Mom to let my good leash rest. Maybe we had been walking it too much. “Let’s take another leash today,” I said.
So, Mom hooked up my red leash. It behaved all the way down to the mailbox. But on the way back to the house it misbehaved. It jumped right out of Mom’s hand. Just like my good leash did before.
I don’t always need a leash. When we’re near the house or out in the meadow I leave my leash in the house. It’s when I see Mom get a leash out that I know we’re going somewhere else. Sometimes that’s to a park or to walk with friends in town or to walk a trail through a woods. Sometimes it’s just to walk down the lane for the mail.
I don’t have to wear a leash in the lane. It’s really, really long, and Mom said I could go without a leash until we reach the road. But I told her I wanted to wear my leash when we’re walking the lane, so she puts it on me. When I wear my leash, I know I’m in charge. I always lead. When we’re out playing no one leads so I don’t need a leash. But I take our walk to get the mail very, very seriously. That’s why I have to lead. I have to protect Mom and make sure we’re safe on our walk to the mailbox and back.
I’m not sure why my red leash misbehaved when we were coming back from getting the mail. But it did. Jumped right out of Mom’s hand. Just like my good leash does. Of course, I had to pick it up. But I only did that after I was running really fast.
Sometimes Mom and I run together, or we walk really fast, so I didn’t know the leash had jumped out of her hand. Not until I looked back to make sure she was keeping up with me. But she was a whole bunch of feet behind. The leash was keeping up with me. It was Mom who wasn’t.
That’s when I did what any good girl would do. I picked up my leash and ran it back to Mom. Then I scolded both of them.
