Running Scared

Missing Show Dog 'Vivy'

MY.WORST.FEAR.

"She was just running scared, somehow she got out of her crate and it's driving me crazy," said the dog’s owner Jil Walton.

To be precise, my worst fear is that somehow I lose my grip on the leash, or it fails somehow, and my dog (who hates me) will be far and away in a flash. I have had the misfortune of having to try and catch her one time - not cool. The free run was not my idea - it was 'mommy's' idea. I did not need to set her loose to know what would happen. My dog (who hates me) does not come to me. She runs in the opposite direction. Luckily, it was on a subdivision with a golf course, just a few houses, a big lawn, long driveway, etc. -- i.e. very few cars. Furthermore, as you might expect, she is fast. That said, wide open spaces are quite rare in our part of Brooklyn - our area is teeming with cars, trucks, and other petrol-powered doggie squishers. Since we moved here a few years ago I've witnessed two car accidents on my block and once we saw a dog run straight out into traffic only to head-butt the broad side of a moving car with a sickening 'whack' sound. The dog stumbled away - it survived. My wife and I looked at the owner who seemed a little too relaxed about it - as if this dog is always running out into the street, playing its version of frogger or demolition derby.

In my worst nightmare my dog (who hates me) would get away and then... what... go to some passerby, perhaps? run to a woman? "Miss! please call to my dog" I would say. Or, my dog would run directly out into traffic. Dreadful thoughts. But what can you do (besides post it to your half-assed blog)?

Good luck to Vivy wherever she is.

Update 2/16/2006 7:18 PM: "Running Scared"... I hear Netflix calling me, beckoning...

Update 2/17/2006 12:08 PM:... and this of course! duh.

Update 2/20/2006 2:54 PM: NYTimes namechecks Bobbi and the Strays and NYPost has some good news (perhaps).