About a third of the way into my run, I saw a big black dog running up beside me. The dogs around here have been less than hospitable, so I assumed this would be another one I'd have to yell at and scare off. Instead, Sirus (which I later learned was his name) ran all around, jumping up and down like a puppy wanting to play.
I assumed he would stay near his house, but Sirus ended up following me for the next 6 miles! This is the first time I've run with a dog, and it was great. He would run up ahead, sniff around and chase deer and squirrels , and when he got too far he'd stop and wait for me to catch up. At one point his ears perked up as if he heard something, then he plopped down in the ditch. A few seconds later a car came around the corner. When it had passed, he hopped up and kept running. This happened almost every time a car passed, and each time he did, I couldn't help but laugh. The run turned out to be a lot more fun than I'd anticipated. At one point I was running down this beautiful winding road under a canopy of orange, yellow, and red leaves, temperature perfect, dog at my side, and, no lie, horses galloping in the pasture to my left. Unbelievable.
When we got to the house where he joined me, he jumped out of the car to one of his owners who was outside. The guy was really happy to see him and so thankful we'd brought him back. We were glad to see he lived with nice folks who seemed to take good care of him.
I don't know that I've ever laughed so much while running. It was a blast.
1 comment:
I love this story! When you get back from Belgium, it might just be time for a dog.
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