Stranger Danger

Mummy and I walk regularly … you’ll find us out and about in the evening, and more so these days, we make our way in the early morning. The smells of autumn are here … a collection of acorns on our path. There is nothing that I enjoy more than the cacophony of sights, smells, noises. The butterflies, bees and grasshoppers are plentiful this time of year and I can most certainly make the most of a romp through the tallest grasses or clearing a swath through the clover.

We rarely walk the same path every day, and although I’ve trod by the houses on either side of ours more times than I could recount, I always stop to smell a few of the choicest spots on this, the most regular part of our route. Fortunately, we like to mix it up, and the tangle of streets throughout our neighborhood provides a never ending array of options.

It’s the occasional passerby that will often cause me to literally stop in my tracks … bat ears perked up on high alert. Yesterday was one such occasion. Mom and I had set out on our walk right after she got home … (and by the way, where does she go all day? That’s probably a subject for another day …) … we’d made it three or four houses … when I saw another dog and his walker approach … so I sat down … which in turn causes mom to pull up short. Mom, in her effort to persuade me back up on my feet will give me a slight tug on the lead … I respond by taking one, yes, one step forward ... Mom gives me a another tug ... one more tiny step forward and then I will likely take my seat. No amount of coaxing and cajoling will make me move till I’m ready …

Once I do decide that the approaching stranger provides no imminent danger … I will approach quickly and then slowly and then quickly … like a preteen at their first dance. Other times, I prefer the view from the safe confines between mom’s ankles … and it’s from there, I will quickly dart forward and back ... coyly flirting but not quite giving in. It's usually a quick chuck under my chin and we are on our way ...