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.