Two Dogs Out Walking 2007

Yesterday I headed out with my two dogs for a run.  I had Junior, the mentally challenged Dalmatian, and Niko, the small but mighty Rat Terrier. Usually, I keep them on leashes until I get to the banks of one of our irrigation ditches, but, if no one is around I take the leashes off, or, if there is someone with dogs, but their dogs are off leash, then I will do the same. Over the years having a dog off leash has gotten dicier and dicier, and can lead to some big problems.   However this is what my dogs live for-- the 15 of 20 minutes of complete freedom that allows them to sniff, pee, and run, pell mell, on their own up and down the sides of the ditch.

When I got to the ditch bank, there was a woman with two large white dogs on leashes, and a third, a black lab, loose.  Since her lab was loose, I let Junior and Niko go, and headed off in the opposite direction, assuming my dogs would follow.  I heard a frantic, "No, No" as my two started to follow her lab back to where she was standing.  I called them, but with no luck, and they proceeded to head towards the woman as she repeated, "No, No, No!" over and over.  By this time Junior had made it close enough for one of the white dogs to lunge at him, and the woman was dragged to the ground.  Junior yelped and then turned and scurried back to me, tail between his legs, Niko close at his heels.  I snapped their leashes on and turned to face the woman, laying on the ground, tangled in the leashes as her dogs struggled to get free and come after us.
 "Wow!" I said.
In a quavering voice she answered, "I tried to tell you!"