No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

 Last week, during my morning walk through the neighborhood I saw a loose dog romping around my path.

"Uh oh!" I immediately thought. "Someone's dog is loose!" And I was right.

I took out my iPhone to take a video of the dog with the intention of posting my video to my NextDoor app. Here in southern coastal Delaware there are many developments like mine and many times dogs get loose (and cats). As I was taking my short video, I heard a woman shout to me "Grab his collar!" 

That woman was one of my neighbors ("Linda") who lives a few house below our house. She was out walking her dog and told me that the dog I was taking a video of belong to another one of our neighbors. She sad the neighbor's back door was open and TWO of his dogs got out. One of the dogs, a Siberian husky, she was able to get back into the neighbor's house through the open back door but she couldn't get this dog, which was a Boxer/Pitbull mix, also known as an "American Pitbull", in. The dog was always out of her grasp. She couldn't get it anyway because she was very thin. 

I did manage to get hold of his collar (he would come to me) but as soon as I had his collar he fell to the ground and turned over.

"Now what?" I thought.  Carry him to the neighbor's back door? He was too heavy for me and besides I'm very unsteady on my feet. Then I thought I would try and drag him across the grass. As I started to do that I heard a low growl from deep within his 100% muscle chest. Then I looked at his massive jaws. "Oh no, I'm not going to go there" I said to myself.  I had this picture of what started out as an innocent walk would turn into a disaster with me being chewed up by a pit bull, and believe me this was a pit bull, don't give me that nonsense about "Oh, it's just a boxer dog." Bullshit, it's a pit bull. American or whatever, it's still a pit bull dog. 

Not the actual dog but almost the same. I took this picture from the Internet for "American Pit Bull" mix. 

We live near the heavily traveled speedway Route One, also known as Coastal Highway. Scene of many accidents (just this past month two fatalities and just yesterday another serious accident sending four people to the local hospital). I didn't want this dog to end up as roadkill on Route One so I put on my thinking cap and came up with Plan B.

I decided to lure the errant dog with a treat. I couldn't drag him so I decided to invade my other neighbor Bob's garage and borrow his leash (I walk his dog when he goes fishing so I know how to get into his garage and where the extension leash is I use for his Australian Cattle Dog/Poodle mix. 

I retrieved the doggie treat and leash and approached Mr. Massive Jaws Boxer/Pitbull mix and put the leash on him, which he let me do. As soon as I attempted to stand up he took off! 

I WENT FLYING!!!!! 

This is literally how I went flying!

Folks, I was literally airborne for about a second and a half until gravity landed me face first in the morning dew wet grass!

Thank God I was able to hold on the leash and I was able to stop him, albeit at the very end of the now extended long leash.

As I lay on the ground I took stock of my latest Fall to the ground. My BIGGEST FEAR folks is falling and here I had a major fall. 

I.AM.THE.ONLY.CAREGIVER.FOR.BILL.

I.CANNOT.AFFORD.TO.INJURE.MYSELF.FALLING.AGAIN

Thank God I wasn't injured other than the air knocked out of me. 

I WAS LUCKY .........THIS TIME.

I pulled in the extended leash on the still playful dog (he thought I was playing) and lured him into the neighbor's house with the unlocked back door. That neighbor was obviously at work because I didn't see his pickup truck in his driveway.

As I opened the back door to lead in Mr. Boxer/Pitbull Mix, I see the Siberian Husky. I gave him a treat too. Thank goodness I brought several treats with me. 

I closed the door, thus ending a near disaster both for myself and the dog. I couldn't live with myself if I left the dog loose all day. And I was so thankful that I didn't injure myself by taking that tremendous fall. Man, I'm telling you that was one strong dog able to pull me totally off my feet like that.

At the end of the day, when that neighbor returned home from work I walked over to his house and rang his doorbell. He didn't answer. I rang several times before I gave up.

He is a new neighbor, ironically almost directly across from the neighbor's house that was totally destroyed by fire the week previously. I don't know him. I did a little research on him and found he is originally from California.

I tried last weekend when my other neighbor, "Linda", told me his daughter was home. She didn't answer the door either. 

I give up for now. Maybe I'll see him on one of my walks and I'll remind him of what Linda and I did that day by saving his dogs and perhaps he should make sure his back door is locked when he goes to work. 

Just another day in the neighborhood folks.