Leashes and life

It’s a nice day today, which can’t always be assumed for a July 6 in Indiana. It’s not too hot or humid. So I have my window open in my small apartment.

I decided I would sit in the chair by the window and read. Things were going great. The sound of the cars driving on nearby streets became rhythmic with each page I turned. Then I heard the sound of a voice. I kept reading. I heard “Margo” and then some whistling.

I became curious as to why someone outside kept yelling and whistling, so I looked out the window. I saw a woman who was my age and a dog. It was a pit bull, and it was behaving most impressively. The dog was not on a leash. So I became mesmerized by this well trained dog. The woman kept yelling “Margo.” It was at this moment when I realized she had taken two dogs, sans leashes, outside. Naturally, I started scanning the area for the second dog. I didn’t see anything. Then the woman looked across the street and saw Margo frolicking in the giant grassy field of the church.

The woman tried to get Margo, but Margo was having more fun playing on her own. With this, I thought, “Should have had those dogs on leashes.” I got up to get more coffee, which I can’t begin to describe how thankful I am that I became bored with watching this woman try to corral her dog. I was facing the coffee pot when I heard it.

Almost at the same time, I heard a soft, odd thump and a high pitched shrill. Instantly, I knew what happened. I was frozen. I started to feel my knees get weak, and my whole body started to shake.

I didn’t want to look out the window, afraid of what I might see. I stood there, frozen, for a few moments. I slowly turned and out of the corner of my eye I saw a couple of cars had stopped outside. I listened very closely. I didn’t hear any sobbing or wailing. I decided to look out the window. I looked out the window, and I saw a group of four people hovering over two dogs that were in sitting positions. Neither dog was wincing.

A man picked up Margo. It was then that I realized the dog that got nicked by the car was the perfectly behaved pit bull.

One of the women picked up the pit bull and examined one of its feet. The dog owner came out of her apartment with paper towels and a plastic bag, which she put over one of the dog’s feet. She immediately got in her car, wet hair and all, and headed for the animal hospital. (I know this because one of the women from the group was giving her directions.)

I hope the pit bull will be OK. The injuries didn’t appear to be life threatening.

I wanted to write this blog to remind all dog owners that something terrible can happen in a split second. It doesn’t matter how trained your dog is. If you live near a busy road, put your dog on a leash when you take her out, especially if you’re taking two dogs out.

Sometimes, we can take life for granted. It just takes a split second to be reminded how fragile it really is. Luckily, there were no casualties from this instance. I hope something will be learned from this incident, and I hope at least another life can be saved from this reminder of the fragility of life.