Mr. D and his running out of the house in a jiffy.. (W)oof!! He would be out before we know it.. We would open the front door ever so slightly and he would find that gap and dart out. This happened twice and each of these situations gave its moments of anxiety. After every such situation, we would say, “What is this Mr. D? How can you run like this etc etc etc”. A firm tone reprimand and that’s all. He would give us looks with such soulful eyes that we could only smile at.

The first time..

We had our close relative visiting us and he opened the front door to step out. He wasn’t aware of how slightly he needed to open the door. He opened it more than slightly and that gave Mr. D space enough to run out. By the time we ran behind him, he had sprinted from the second floor to the ground floor. This relative and I darted after him. Mr. D heard our feet behind him and sprinted faster. After a few steps, he would stop and look behind. The moment he would see us, he would once again take to a sprint. He possiblly thought that we were chasing him and for him, that was fun.

The apartment gate was open and that was a boon for him. He ran out and my heart was in my mouth. I was sure that if I ran anymore, he would run faster and that was danger for him. I stopped running and froze. He had stepped a little outside the gate and on the road and stopped to pee in one of his favorite spots. I heaved a sigh of relief.

I was fast and furious thinking how to get him back inside and eureka!! I made a thump sound with my feet and ran back inside the apartment. Mr. D heard it. His ears perked up and he ran inside the gate and after me. This was play for him.

By then, my home help came running with his leash (Amazing presence of mind). He saw the leash and once again ran away from me. More fun for him!! Since the gate was closed, he couldn’t run out. It was my turn to run. I did some running here and there and he followed me. After much running, both Mr. D and me were tired. He didn’t resist when the leash was put on him.

Whew!! I was thanking the stars that he did not find anything more attractive to run further than just outside the gate.

Second time:

We were leaving to the station to catch a train, at around 10.30 in the morning. We had opened the front door and were about to keep the suitcase out.

Everytime any of us travel and he sees us with a suicase, he has to go ahead of us and stand near the door. It is like , “Listen, I also want to go out.” :-). That day was no different. He was near the door and though we moved him away from the door, he saw a gap and slipped out. To catch a train or to run behind Mr. D? That’s the question. No points for the right answer 🙂

Unanimously I was nominated as the person to get him back home. My mind went back to the earlier situation of him running out of the apartment and I was like, “Oh no!! Not again.” Me in a saree, darting after a dog who was galloping like a horse. What a sight this must have been!!

By the time I took a few steps, he was in the first floor. Fortunately, in the apartment we reside in, we have a clear view of the passage ways of the floors below us. Mr. D had decided to go into the passage way of the first floor. The floor may have looked new to him and he stopped in his tracks. He was looking back and forth as though in confusion and was rooted to a spot. Poor chap!!

Those few moments when he was rooted to the spot, helped me to quickly run down to where he was. In that hurry to run, I didn’t think to carry a leash. Now how do I get him back home climbing two flights of stairs, holding on to him, with my hands as the leash?  I tried calling the lift but it was in a different floor and I knew that every moment of holding him was precious (for me :-)).

If I had to get him up two flights of stairs, I needed to hold him tight so that he doesn’t take to a run and yet loose enough to help him to climb the flight of stairs. I was walking like a duck, bending my back to his height and holding on to him; and handling my movement up the stairs, clad in my saree.

It was only when I almost reached my home, did I relax my stance. I got him inside the house and stood tall (no pun intended :-)).

Seriously, the amount of physical and mental gymnastics that needed to be done with Mr. D!!! He certainly kept us on our toes!!

What stood out for me was the way he would do what he likes to do, within whatever boundary he was in. There were yet times when he would try to break that boundary; and that would again be, to do what he loves to do. He never took his sight and sense off what he loves to do, no matter the space he was in.

There were those odd times when he wouldn’t want to do anything. Nothing and literally nothing would tempt him to do what he didn’t want to do.

Deriving some learnings from these situations with Mr. D:

– Do what you love to do, whichever space you are in..

– If you want to break a boundary, go ahead and break it. It is your boundary and your wish to break it!! And when you break it, enjoy it as well!!

– If you don’t want to do anything, don’t do it.. It’s ok!! Watch what’s happening and enjoy not doing anything 🙂