Yesterday as I was running, I looked up the street and saw a stopped car waiting for what I thought was a deer to cross. But as I got closer I realized it was a dog. One of those huge Marmaduke dogs. Not being very tall, I probably would have been able to look in its eyes without bending over, that’s how big it was.

I probably should have turned around. That would have been the smart thing. But I’d run past this dog before (it was usually safely restrained behind invisible fencing), so I thought it should be okay. But as I got closer and the dog got bigger, I wondered about the wisdom of this thinking. He was, after all, playing chicken with a car. Maybe he was hungry. I eat well and would likely be tasty.

Looking behind me, I saw that a car was approaching. I determined that it would get to the dog about the same time I would. If I could run along side the car, with the dog on the other side, maybe I’d be safe. So as the car pulled along side me, I picked up the pace. The driver and passenger looked at me and I waved. I noticed then that the car slowed down a bit and stayed with me until well past the dog. Somehow the driver realized what I was doing or maybe she just realized the situation and acted as my body guard. How nice was that! I waved again when she slowed to pull into her drive and went safely on my way.

But next time though, I think I’ll just turn around.