The futility of running at the end of a leash.

SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010


The futility of running at the end of a leash.

Some things are not obvious. One of the most difficult things to learn is when something is just a total waste of time.

DakotaDawg, like me, often forgets when she is on the leash. She sees a squirrel and she is off to the races. Right up until she reaches the end of the Yo-Yo. This does not mean she wants to stop, just that sometimes she has to.

I run at the end of the leash far more often than DakotaDawg. I usually do not want to stop either. Often I don’t, even when I have to.

Being argumentative is one of those things that occasionally has no spring return for both of us. DakotaDawg just looks back at me when she comes to the end of the cord. I just try to keep running.

We have a dog that lives around the corner. Its owner puts it out in the front yard on a large chain, winter, summer, rain or shine. No matter how many times it reaches the end of the chain it backs up a little and makes another run at it. I have seen that dog end up on its back several times. I would like to hook the owner up to the chain and put a padlock on it so he could take his dog’s place.


I saw him out in the yard a few times and tried to talk to him about his dog. He never seemed to reach the end of the chain. He does not get it.


Squirrels are very smart animals for tree rats. There is one particular squirrel that will come down the oak tree and sits on the ground when he sees DakotaDawg and me headed his way. He knows that DakotaDawg is on a leash. From what I have seen; he knows exactly how long that leash is. One morning I am going to take DakotaDawg off of her restraint. She will give him a run for his money.


I have another neighbor that also seems to know exactly how long my leash is. He keeps coming down out of one of the few oak trees still left on his property to taunt me. The next time he cranks up the chain saw in our historic downtown urban forest neighborhood I think I will go across the street and unleash my tree hugging neighbor on him.


I try to never reach the end of my leash as fruitless as that might be. There are a couple of things that continue to cause me to get rapidly to the end of it though.

It is difficult to remember we are all on a leash; usually a pretty short one. Maybe we can surprise that squirrel by getting DakotaDawg a little longer one. I don’t want her wasting her time on a too short leash.

Like DakotaDawg, I hate wasting my time.

© 06.13.2010 steven d philbrick SR+