This morning when I dropped Sampson and Delilah off at daycare The Mellow Mutt was getting a shipment of food. There was a large pallet, loaded and shrink wrapped sitting outside the door.
Our normal routine is to get out of the car and have a good sniff, take a couple of piddles and then head inside.
But the pallet really had the dogs unsettled. They were both looking at it and growling at it and cowering, like they do when they are afraid of something. We started towards the grass, then they turned and looked back at the pallet and then they looked at me, so I thought well let’s bring them over and let them see what it is, then they won’t be afraid, right?
WRONG!
Delilah was on leash but Sampson was not. We approached the pallet and they were both sniffing at it and then I’m pretty sure it was Delilah who jumped, which startled Sampson, but either way there was a bark or a growl and they both jumped away from the pallet!
Sampson started to run across the parking lot towards the grass, which borders the road and as I looked up a car was turning in. Thankfully it was Paxton and his mom and his mom saw the whole thing, so she stopped. As this was happening I shouted for Sampson and luckily for both of us he came right to me, but I’m very well aware that we could have had a far different outcome.
I immediately took the dogs inside and dropped Delilah off with Sue, by this time the delivery man had removed the hand cart and dropped the pallet.
I called Sampson to me and together we walked outside while he investigated the pallet with no adverse reaction.
Lesson learned, the next time there is something that I can see is frightening them, they both go on leash and we confront it individually with the other dog in a safe and secure place.
Book update: My book has 9,603 words.
Wow close call, I bet your heart was pounding, I know mine would have been. I’m glad Sampson has such a great recall. Funny how things we don’t even think about get the dogs attention and make them react. Maia has been doing some things like that lately so I have been trying to ignore her reaction and redirect her attention elsewhere.
Wow you have a lot written in your book, the rate you are going I bet we will see 10,000 words posted in the next day or so.
Congratulations on your award, you really deserve it and I just love reading your blog.
Thanks Misty, it happened so fast I really didn’t have time to be afraid. I think if it had been Delilah loose, it may have been a different outcome. 🙁
Thank you so much for the award, I really appreciate your support!
Sounds scary. We have been in that situation. Usually it is Storm who is uneasy. Thunder takes most things in stride. We usually keep them on lead wherever we go, but if one or the other decided to bolt, they could definitely pull away. I always worry about parking lots or now it is the cabin for Freighter. It is nowheresville up there so we have really been working him on the leash and what recall we can do at this age. I would hate to think of him getting loose up there.
It’s hard to figure out what is going to spook a dog sometimes, but I think we have all been in your situation. Scary, but we learn what leashes are for.
When we were taking classes for the Good Canine Citizenship test, one of the trials was for someone to pop open an umbrella and toss it in front of the dog. Indiana was pretty freaked at first! He’s also had problems with a shovel in the middle of the sidewalk, random plastic bags, and a man using a tripod to take pictures of Fourth of July fireworks (he didn’t care one bit about the fireworks of course.) I always have to keep Indiana on leash because his recall will never be good enough. It’s a Basenji rule I had to swear to when adopting him.
Whewwww that could have been very much Bad..
Thank goodness he is OK. I wouldn’t have gotten within 10 feet of that pallet. Not because it would scare mine though. Koly would try to tear into it and get at the utopia of kibble within and Felix would just pee on it. DOG! I’m glad everything turned out well!
Phew, that was a lucky escape. It’s strange how some unexpected things can spook a dog. Sometimes it’s something very ordinary that is out of it’s usual place or something new that isn’t normally there. It’s difficult to predict.
So glad nothing bad happened! Gwynn has reactions like that, but usually when he’s on-leash, or somewhere not-near cars. It is the strangest things, the stuff dogs decide are potentially terrifying.
Oh how scary. I’m so glad the driver saw him, and that he turned right around at your call. You have to wonder why some things spook dogs the way they do, often no rhyme or reason to it. At least it turned out well.
Glad to see an update on your book. You’re really moving along!
Pallets are scary stuff….as are hand trucks, truck ramps, delivery men….did I leave anything out? So glad it turned out OK. A lesson to us all in making sure our dogs have solid recalls!