The Vanishing Dog

One of the advantages of walking Sparky late at night is that there is so little automobile or human foot traffic that I can remove him from his leash and let him walk as he pleases.

Last night, about halfway on our usual circuit of the neighborhood, I got well ahead of the dithering dog. I waited and waited for him to catch up with me. Eventually, I walked back, but could not find him. I saw a side street we occasionally detour down, and thought "he didn't go that way, did he?" So I retraced my steps and then went around that detour, but didn't encounter him. Then I thought "well, maybe he just got confused, and retraced his steps instead." So I retraced our steps, returning all the way home, but still didn't see him.

Sparky and I arrived at the house, from different directions, at the same time. He had completed the original circuit, no doubt crossing streets outside the crosswalk, unassisted. The small, dark dog doubtlessly had seen me storming off hither and thither, but had been content to linger unnoticed in the shadows. Probably a more relaxing trip that way, without all that human fussing and agitating.