This morning after our walk, Ellie took the leash off me when we got to our front lawn, like she always does. Usually I run like the wind to the front door, which is not in the front, which is kind of weird I guess, but that’s the way it is. Sometimes I have other ideas. One neighbor has little tiny dogs I only get to see in the park, so occasionally I turn before I get to our door and run next door. The front yard smells like those little tikes and I want to sniff it all. Ellie always finds me and brings me back home.

Today the gate was open to the neighbor’s yard on the other side,  so I decided to run there instead. His backyard looks a lot like ours only it has different plants and no dog smells. I got a little confused when I went up on his deck and saw a man behind the glass door. Huh? Wasn’t I at home? Then Ellie came jogging after me, the leash in her hand, calling, “Foxy, wait.”

I know what that means but I just didn’t feel like it. The man opened the door and seemed happy to see me.

“He wants to come in and visit,” he said.

Ellie was having none of that. She ran past me and waved her arm in the direction of home. “Come on, let’s go.” So I ran back out and around the house to our familiar front door. That was a fun game. I’ll have to try it again!