My Little Criminal

Today, I was approached by a police officer.

Unwanted encounters with policemen are rarely pleasant, but this one was particularly foul. The officer himself was not the problem; on the contrary, he was kind, and his expression and tone showed that he was apologetic for impinging on my fun, though he never actually came out and said that.

I was at the park with my quiet and playful, 8lb, 4-month old puppy, running and throwing a miniature sized tennis ball (it is anatomically impossible for him to play with a normal size tennis ball).



We were in an isolated area in the far corner of the park, just loving the weather and each other and this opportunity to leave our (my) cares behind and just play. Out of nowhere, the aforementioned police officer drives his car down the walking path to tell me that someone had called in and reported us because the dog was NOT ON A LEASH! You can imagine the disappointment for me and my four-legged companion. Not a soul had come within 10 yards of us, and I assure you it was not out of fear. Who could we possibly have been bothering?? Even the officer acknowledged that the complaint was absurd, but when someone calls, he has to come.

To be honest, I didn't even bring a leash. So, I was forced to pick up my little criminal, carry him back to my car, and go home. He was crushed. He gave me the most pathetic puppy-dog-eyes I have ever seen, and I had no way of explaining to him that I was just as heart-broken as he was. I just hope he understands that it was not me who ruined his fun, or even the officer, but rather some invisible grump who can't stand to see others happy, especially at the expense of THE LAW!

On the bright side, the officer did mention a park on the other side of town where we could play. It's not legal to have unleashed dogs at that park either, but he said we were less likely to get reported. Isn't that nice? A cop helping me break the law. If only I could be so lucky when I'm trying to turn a 5 hour drive home into a 4 hour drive by speeding "just a little".