My dog has a death wish, or maybe he’s trying to prove that cats aren’t the only ones with nine lives. He can be competitive that way.
This week on one walk alone he cashed in two lives. It was the mail truck’s fault.
We were on the sidewalk, minding our own business, when the driver gunned his engine and roared past. Pettigrew leapt. The driver braked. I hauled on the leash. With a six-foot lead, Pettigrew got further into the road than I expected.
Barely three blocks later we were again passed by a mail truck. The same one? Did the driver have it in for Pettigrew? I don’t know. I didn’t see the driver’s face.
I was staring at the grass trying to find the exact spot where Pettigrew had done his business. I had already cleaned up as much as I could with a bag, but what with his upset stomach and all, there was some left behind. I was holding the leash in one hand and a bunch of leaves in the other that I planned to cover the offending spot so no one would accidentally step on it.
The truck rumbled by. Horrified, I saw Pettigrew leap again. I jumped back. As if in slow motion, the poop bag (luckily already knotted) left my hand and described a high arc in the air, landing in the street. The leaves fell from my hand. The backs of my legs hit our neighbor’s stonewall and I thumped down, hard, on top.
The mail truck honked.
???
And continued on its way.
We were close to home. Not sure I was up for Pettigrew testing exactly how many more lives he has left in the hopper.
Cats, the game is on.
Ruth Polk 
Ouch! I hope you’re OK.
I thought this sort of thing only happened to me! A while back, a van spooked Scampi and in a split second, he’d dashed around me. My legs were tied together with the lead and he pulled hard – I went flying and a man caught me just before I hit the floor 😀
LikeLike
So glad someone was close by to catch you! You are definitely not the only one. I switched Pettigrew to a gentle lead after he knocked me off my feet several years ago. This post has also brought out other’s stories. One poor girl got wrapped in the leash and not only did she get bruises from falling, but she had welts on her legs from where the leash had rubbed. Who knew it was so hazardous to love a dog!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! Scary business and so vividly described. What was the postman thinking!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have no idea what the mail carrier was thinking. It seemed to me that by honking it would only excite Pettigrew further, but maybe it was a reflex. Trying to be more alert to mail trucks when I walk!
LikeLike
Ouch! I think you may need to start counting your lives, too. And what was with that honk?!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm, I think I have only one life, so I’ll be careful! The honk was weird. The only thing I can think of is that it was a reflex.
LikeLike
Do dogs have a social media, like Facebark or Snapgrowl, where Pettigrew coukd post about this and shame the maildriver? I sure hope so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the possibilities: Facebark, Snapgrowl, what about Instgrew, for his own personal account!
LikeLike