Ask Aunt Foley

Dear Aunt Foley: The other day I was on a walk with my Dad.  I was doing my usual walk stuff, looking around, sniffing, turning my head at any sound.  Like all dogs we trust our humans to watch where we are going.  Unfortunately Daddy wasn’t really paying attention to where we were walking and he took me over a stormdrain.  My leg went right through one of the rectangular drains and then I fell sideways.  My Daddy had to lift me out.  Whose fault was this?  Clint

Dear Clint:  For generations us dogs roamed the world without a leash carefully watching every step and we never fell in a grate and got stuck.  Then we got our calling to become man’s angels and we moved in with them.  Man, being genetically mistrusting, put a rope on us so we didn’t run away from them.

Once that happened we made a pact with them. We would let them put the leash on us and walk us but they had to watch where we were going.  We would spend our time smelling the flowers, looking at the sky, checking out any vermin that needed chasing and any old friends who may be outside.

Well your father went and broke that agreement when  he let you fall in the drain.  It was his duty to make sure you did not get stuck.  I think there is only one thing that can be done here.  You Dad needs to put on a leash and look around while you hold the leash in your mouth.  Then we can see what you guide him to to leave him with a hurt leg.

Although, from what I hear from my sources on the human book, your Mommy has much worse planned for your Dad.  An important rule of paw is to remember that Mommies are very good at concentrating on us and Daddies aren’t good at concentrating on anything that doesn’t have a ball involved for more than ten seconds so when you are being walked by your Mom enjoy the walk and when you are being walked by your Dad look out below.