Exciting Suburban Animal Chases

Did I ever tell you about that time a fully saddled horse came trotting down our street without a rider? I swear I wrote about it before, but cannot for the life of me find the story.

It was a Saturday morning and Tuckertino had just escaped out the back door. The dog took off down the road, the husband took off after him, and I took off after the husband holding a bag of treats. Dog treats, that is, not husband treats. Hmmm...Husband treats? (Queue fantasy vignette of me running down the street balancing a platter of vegan cupcakes yelling "Murph! Cupcakes!").

So after a good bit a yelling, the husband cornered the dog in the neighbor's back yard and scooped him up. We walked home, reprimanded the Tino and then probably gave him a treat. The husband then loaded both dogs into the car for the weekly dump trip. A magical place where the Tino would get more treats from the likes of Crazy Dump Guy.

The boys left and I was in the kitchen when I heard the distinctive "clip-clop" of a horse getting louder and faster. As it was daylight, and I couldn't very well turn off all the lights and stare unabashedly out the window, I poked my head out the front door as all good (read nosey) neighbors do in the suburbs.

Fortunately, I timed this perfectly and watched as a riderless, horse came trotting down our side street and took a left onto Plant Ave. A few hundred meters behind the horse a boy riding a BMX bike was peddling after the horse, yelling something to the effect of "please stop him! please stop him!" Behind the boy was an old "grandma-style" sedan of the crown vic, old school Caddy variety following him ever so carefully.

Within a few minuets the boy came back up the street, walking the horse by it's lead. The car followed them slowly still with the BMX hanging out of the trunk. Apparently the BMX boy's girlfriend was getting ready to ride her horse, when it spooked and ran out of the barn and up the road. The boy took off after the horse, and upon seeing something WILD the car just started to follow them figuring they could be of assistance at some point.

I was just happy not to be the only people in the neighborhood having to chase down their animals.