Zigging and zagging

We live in development that has a pretty nice club house, swimming pool and playground.  It sits on the top of a hill which overlooks a volleyball court and open field.  All of it is bordered by a forest.

For the last couple of weeks we have been taking Tellie to the field so she can run off leash and get her pent up "gooties" out.  At first she runs around in big circles and then decides it's more fun to smell the grass and explore.  Sometimes she digs because there are some pretty interesting creatures to be found under the grass.  She hasn't found any yet but she has determined they are there.  Alexa and I have also been tossing a tennis ball back and forth which Tellie loves to chase after.  We throw it for her and she launches after it, carrying it back to us with unbridled pride that she has conquered the round fuzzy thing which bounces around on the grass.

Sometimes she's tempted to explore the woods.  We are aware of what she's trying to do and call her back.  She always comes but sometimes seems to look at us with a look of "you used to let me run there when Jersey was here.  Why can't I now?"  That's why we don't let her go by herself into the woods...Jersey's not there.

Jersey loved to run free in the woods with Tellie close on her heels. There was so much for her to do and see and smell and chase.  I never minded letting Tellie go with her because I knew Jersey would watch out for her.

Among the many times they would both disappear into the trees was the time Jersey discovered some deer.  Chaos would reign as the deer took off, zigging and zagging away from the big red dog and the little black and white Terrier who would be tailing them all at the back of the pack.  There was always something thrilling about hearing the excited barking and the crash, crash, crash of trees and underbrush being flattened.  It sounded like a tornado whipping across the ground destroying everything in it's path.

Jersey and Tellie never caught the deer.  They were too fast and always managed to escape.

Tellie always made her way back to me first.  I would have been whistling and clapping for them to "GET BACK HERE" which of course never worked.  At least if I kept it up, they would know where I was and be able to eventually find me.

Jersey would finally emerge from the woods, as she always did, looking very pleased with herself.  She would be covered with mud from blasting through the stream that ran the the forest and would smell like a marshy, wet, rotting swamp.  She would also have a huge ear to ear smile on her face and would be tremendously proud of herself.

Of course I knew that along with the deer there were also racoons and fox that would have run at Jersey and Tellie if they had the opportunity.  I'm sure Jersey would have faced them down and I'm sure Tellie would have been bouncing up and down in the background urging her on to "Get 'em! Get 'em! Get 'em!

Now, there was no one to keep an eye on Tellie if she disappeared into the forest.

Today, there are no sounds of boundless running coming from the woods.  There's only the sound of my voice calling Tellie to come back.