Rupp's Brush With Death

This afternoon, I took Rupp outside for what I thought would be a routine walk. Unfortunately, this would turn out to be the least routine walk Rupp and I have ever gone on.

Ninety-nine percent of the time he is outside, Rupp is on a leash. Today was no exception. As we walked out the back door, though, I noticed a small, innocent puppy standing in our driveway. Rupp, being the gracious host that he is, decided to attack this intruder. I did not have a great grip on the leash and it shot out of my hand. After rolling around in the driveway for a second, and before I could grab Rupp's leash, the puppy shot out of sight at top speed, with Rupp giving chase.

I sprinted after them in bare feet, yelling at Rupp to stop. He declined. They both stayed on the sidewalk, but this puppy was fast. Rupp was not quite as fast and could never catch him, but he easily outran me. Finally, they reached the end of the block and both dogs shot across the street with me about 100 yards behind them, panting for breath. Right after they made it across the street, a car shot by, and I mentally prepared for the divorce proceedings that would ensue were I responsible for the death of Lynn's dog.

At that point, they both turned onto another road and out of sight. After the fact, I looked on the internets to see how far I had sprinted. 1/5 of a mile, or 1,056 feet, or over three football fields. It's safe to say I had not sprinted like that since playing high school soccer seven years ago, and it showed. I could barely move and my throat was afire from the run and screaming myself hoarse at the dog. Thankfully, a kid was riding his bike down the sidewalk and pointed out the two houses the dogs ran between. I hobbled into the yard of the first house, feet bleeding, and heard Rupp's collar jingling as he walked from between some bushes. He was wearing a shit-eating grin similar to this one.

I've been looking for a Lab to adopt since.