The fall could have been big (chronicles)

3 minutes of reading

Yesterday at the end of the day the temperature had already started to drop, I decided to go out again and run with the dog by my side.

As the dog is not used to run in the street in the middle of the traffic I decided to take him by the leash. He is a medium sized dog, weighing about 30 kilos. A jolt from him could well unbalance me during the run and throw me to the ground.

When we passed the urban park full of grass and trees he stalled, causing the leash to stretch, to take a pee. He didn't hold back and stopped at times to relieve his needs.

I was just starting the race and it wasn't that bad, but those mishaps prevented me from keeping a steady stride so my body could warm up and overcome the freezing cold of the night.

After crossing the urban park there we entered a pavement beside a road that led to the other end where the city hospital is located.

Even so the dog could not resist and there he stopped two more times preventing us to continue at the right pace. The freezing cold entered through the bones.

I always went running alone although I was told back home that the dog could keep up with my running smoothly.

I never looked favourably on that because the dog might jump into the middle of the street or do something else.

In fact it is a nuisance to have to take the dog by the leash and endure some jerks when he decides to stop to smell any canine perfume.

But the happiness stamped on his wide-eyed, band-tongued muzzle made up for all those inconveniences.

After all, you can really tell if an animal is happy. All you have to do is read its signs.

From a certain moment on, the dog started to run determinedly at my side, looking straight ahead and with a firm paw. Sometimes he looked at me to check if everything was alright, then he would point his nose forward again and continue with a wide paw paw.

I was running at the right pace but without exaggeration, which corresponds in the dog's stride to a certain trot as if he were a horse.

We followed the 3 km route for 20 minutes. We were already heading to the starting point when we passed the churchyard. 

Then we continued and there were only 2 granite steps to go down at the back of the church. In a single bound I climbed over those steps. I immediately wondered what would have happened if I had tripped and fallen to the ground. Would the dog have enough skills to save me somehow? What could he do for me?

Possibly bark loudly, very loudly as Charlie knows how to do only in emergencies because he is usually a quiet dog and grateful to his foster family, perhaps because he was adopted.

But he wouldn't have much luck because right next door was the cemetery and only much further on were the buildings with windows and doors closed to prevent the cold from getting inside their homes.

Maybe I wouldn't be so lucky and I'd just lie there freezing in the cold. Life changes totally from one minute to the next.

11-feb-2023

João Pires