No picture today as I was a little preoccupied.
This was Faith's 4th time coming to the woods, and she seems to love it, sniffing and checking everything out. I've had her on the long leash the shelter gave me as we haven't had a chance to do much about working on recall or anything (she does know sit and down already). Today was very rainy and warm and so we were just going to do the medium loop, and we were almost at the turn off when the text alert on my phone went off, and at the exact moment I changed hands Faith saw a squirrel and took off after it, pulling the leash out of my hands. I wasn't too worried until she disappeared from sight, and did not come back.
I followed after her, back the way we had come, calling and whistling, all the way back to the car, no sign. So I turned and went back, following our usual route, calling and whistling, in the hope that she remembered (from the one time she had done the full loop).
I finally got almost all the way round and was approaching the car park with all sorts of horrible thoughts running through my head- had she got out onto Mamaroneck Avenue, had the leash got caught round a tree as she was running at full tilt, either hurting her as it pulled her up or leaving her tied up somewhere off the trail where I would never find her. I was planning on getting back to the car and calling the shelter and admitting to them that I had lost her and hoping that she would be found and returned to them (she's microchipped and wearing a shelter collar tag) and wondering if there was any chance they'd give her back to me if she was.
I had seen no-one else in the woods because of the lousy weather but just before I got to the car park I saw a guy walking towards me and asked him if he'd seen a Border Collie with a red collar and a long, black leash, "Yes" he said, "there's one in the parking lot waiting next to a black car." And indeed there was, she was sitting next to the car with her leash caught under the tire (she must have circled the car, dragging it and jamming it there)!
I don't know who was happier to see whom, but there was much jumping and hugging and tail wagging!
So, all's well that ends well, and she's obviously smarter than most (if a little impulsive where squirrels are concerned). But you can be sure I'll be keeping a tight hold of that leash from now on until we've done some serious recall work!!!
