Walking the Dog!!!! or Why I like Cats!

Sunday I took my daughter's dog, Cookie for a walk (usually a pleasant 2 and a half mile stroll.) Now, I have never been a "dog" person and am actually afraid of them but I can usually walk her because she is a pretty calm dog and I use a choke chain.

Alas, at about the first half mile mark we came upon a chocolate Lab in the bed of a pickup parked in the front yard. I asked the guy with the dog if it was tied up. He said yes and so we proceeded past with Cookie prancing and well behaved like a show dog while the Lab was choking itself trying to get to us nearly falling off the tailgate while growling & barking with claws scrapping on the metal bed of the truck.

We made it about four houses past when all of a sudden I heard a loud noise, looked back and saw the Lab coming like the Hound of the Baskervilles. His owner quickly jumped from the back of the truck and followed.

I know you are not supposed to get between fighting dogs but I couldn't let anything happen to my daughter's dog so I yelled, jumped up & down, and yes, got between the dogs. The Lab jumped cookie and started biting at the neck. I had Cookie on the choke chain and pulled back real hard and got between them again. The lab rose in the air to attack again just as a body came flying in from the left at about 3 feet off the ground and landed right on top of the Lab. It was a super tackle.

Cars were stopping and people from the church were coming to look. Cookie was still scared and backed up right out of her choke chain. Thank God she headed away from the street but she was flying & I couldn't catch her. We ran all around the church and I got a severe stitch in my side. Occasionally she would let me get within an arm's length but then she was off again. Finally a couple of kids from the church were able to get her to come to them and we got the leash back on her.

We finished our walk and on the way back I talked with the owner of the Lab. He said the Lab had actually broken his choke chain. That was the noise I heard.

I figure cats do not need walks so nothing of this sort could happen. Well about 10 pm Sunday night with Ricky in and Hopper out, I heard a cat fight right outside the slider. I opened the door and there was a fierce battle in progress with bodies moving so fast as to be unidentifiable. Off they went into the darkness growling and fighting, big bang on the fence, silence. I called for Hopper and after a minute or so, here he came calmly prancing up to the door, sat, turned his head back & forth smelling the air and looking for intruders he could chase away. He did not want to come in, but wanted to stay where the excitement was.

I guess I need to get a pet rock.