Champ is no easy dog.
A few days ago, I walked with Champ, a Yorkie Biewer dog, around the neighborhood without a leash. This is after months of training him to stay to the right side of the road, ‘wait’ when I tell him to, and not chase a squirrel or anything unless in an off-leash park (it’s hard to explain, but there’s a mutual understanding between us now :P). He only crosses the road after I tell him to come closer to me, we both ‘wait’, and then I point to the other side with my index finger. Even then, sometimes he gets carried away and runs to the middle of the road to sniff something before I point at the pavement.
As Champ and I walk, a neighbour passing by as he walks his dog on a leash comes up with a similar conversation to one we had a few months ago.
Let me mention both times:
First time.
Neighbour: You’re so lucky. My dog would never be able to get off leash. He follows his nose too strongly. (paraphrased)
Me: Yeah...he follows his nose quite strongly too (of course, he’s a terrier). I did train him quite a b--(I mumbled).
Neighbour: --Yeah, but if I took off the leash, my dog would run off and never come back.
Me: Yeah...
----
Second time:
Neighbour: You’re so lucky. If I took off the leash, my dog would run off and never come back. He follows his nose too strongly. (paraphrased)
Me: Yeah... (didn’t bother saying anything else)
In my head, however, was the thought, “Lucky wouldn’t be the word that I would use, but whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
LUCKY? Really???? Lord have mercy on me.