Here We Go A G A I N

Today while Rascal was outside, he saw a squirrel and he took off. Apparently, a 60+ pound dog running at top speed, is enough force to break apart a collar at the snap. And it did. And he was gone.

Since it was so muddy we figured he'd come back when he was tired and we left him alone. But then I looked out my window a while later and saw an older man walking his two dogs and Rascal standing in the middle of the street, looking interested. I threw on my shoes, grabbed the leash and ran out the door.

The man had time to comment that Rascal didn't listen and then he went home.

So I figured I was out here, might as well get Rascal.
Rascal gave me the doggy equivalent of the middle finger a couple times during this whole mess and kept running.
Much to my dismay he ran all the way down the street and crossed the very busy street parallel to the one we live on. He almost got hit by a car. And then he crossed back over and ran down the next street.

He starts sniffing around someone's flowerbed and all of a sudden this lady sticks her head out of the door and starts swearing at me, telling me how I have to have my dog on a leash blah blah blah. I politely (as possible) told her that he had broken his collar and I was trying to get him but she was just really rude. It made me even angrier. She had no idea how angry I was at Rascal or how hard it was to catch him, or even get him to stop running away. And he didn't even look like he was about to mess up her yard or poop in it so she had no right to talk to me like that.

But, moving on.

Muttering mean things under my breath I continued to chase rascal up and down the street until i decided I was ready to give up. Then Rascal caught sight of the dog that belongs to the family I babysit for. I crossed the street and was petting the dog and here comes Rascal trotting up like he was ready for me to open the gate. So i got him... and walked him home.

We passed an old lady who had come out to look at something in her yard. She had two stacks of bricks and one of the stacks had fallen over. She was loudly saying that she didn't know who did it but she'd get him or something like that.

So now all of our neighbors hate us. Not that I care... but.
Only one person stopped to help us. He gave me some treats to try and bribe Rascal but he only ate them really fast and darted away before I could, and then he brought his dog outside to try and help get Rascal's attention.

Anyways, Rascal was covered in mud.
Covered.
And he smelled like poop.
And he was a mess.
So I gave him a bath and he's still not completely clean but we ran out of hot water so he'll have to wait. I also cut a large knot of burs out of his tail.

So, Rascal's Christmas list looks like this:

Obedience School
Fence
Shock Collar