Pack Leader

It's 5:43 A.M.

James is up before the alarm goes off every morning. Thanks to Skuzum, he never gets to sleep in because Skuzum drops a load or takes a piss in the toilet, and someone has to flush it. Skuzum is good like that, because James and Mama trained him to use the toilet. Little did they both know he would be the cock-a-doodle kitty every morning. I do not mind it, because it gives me a chance to creep into bed with Mama and cradle in the comfort of James' warm side of the bed.

"Sundance. Come on boy. Time to go."

Thats what I heard from James on our way out for our Oregon-Style Pack Run. The past two mornings, we've been heading out to pick up Stella. Stella is a new pack member with a history of pulling on the lead. James has had me come along to help train Stella and remind her it's o.k. to be a pack member and follow. She did really well today. A little change in scenery helped too. The first day we ran Silver Lake Reservoir, only to be entertained by incompetent dog-handlers. Today we visited Griffith Park and our run lacked the silliness of Silver Lake, instead it provided us with the stride of Achilles. We ran 5 miles in less than 45 minutes and made time to even watch a comedy of errors. From a distance we could see this man jogging and being pulled north, west, south and east by three dogs. The most powerful of the three was a Pekinese, but the laughs don't stop here. As we approached, James new full well what was about to happen, so we pulled over to the side of the trail, sat and watched. Coming from the rear were two athletic men who had been drafting off each other at a decent pace. Just as they were about to pass the three dogs, the blue heeler in the pack lunged from the handler's grip and attacked the trailing runner's ankles. Luckily, the runner was not injured, but it left him cautious as he approached us. James assured him that we were peaceful dog and we meant no harm. I knew what James was thinking and I knew he was annoyed that the handler did nothing to prevent the attack. He had every opportunity to establish himself as pack leader, yet he failed right out of the gate.

I am so glad we have James. He is the master of my fate, he is the captain of my soul. :)