Um...that was fun.

The scene:  It's a lovely, sunny day, I'm in shorts & a t-shirt.  I've just pulled my pink Zensah sleeves out of the dryer & I'm ready for a nice run with the dog. 

Though my body isn't being spectacular, I'm still having a good run.  As usual, Underwood is off leash, but I put him back on when another dog is near.  Sometimes I'm okay with him going in the creek- mostly when it's hot out- but I don't want him to today.  Every time he veers towards or looks at a trail going down to the water, I tell him "Nope!" and he turns away and stays on the trail.  MARVELOUS! 

This goes on for almost the whole run.  It's great!  I'm already composing my tweet in my head.  "Great run and successfully kept dog out of the water for an hour!"  I try to refrain from boasting aloud because I don't want to jinx it, but I do finally tell him how good he's being.  We're very chummy.

A dog we've seen two other times comes by, with his owner riding a bike.  I put Underwood on leash for a minute while they move away from us.  He's pretty tired by now, so I don't think he'll run after them when I let him off again.  I am so, so terribly wrong. 

46 minutes into the run: He goes tearing off after the dog, but then, not surprisingly, takes a sharp turn down to the creek.  I figure I'll catch up to him in a minute, but I start to run again instead of walking.  I get to the point where he went down:  no Underwood.  I call him and call him, but I can't see him.  Now?  I'm worried, but I'm holding it together.  The creek is pretty full and rushing a bit, but he's a lab, c'mon.

I keep calling him and keep jogging a bit, but he's not running up like usual and I can't hear him.  I'm starting to freak out a little bit. 

**changing to past tense because this whole present tense thing is bugging me**

Finally, I heard a little yip, and I freaked out.  I started booking it back to where he went down, but still didn't see him.  I put down my stuff (mp3 player, keys, leash) and started scrambling down the bank.  I don't see him out in the creek, and I'm calling him and calling him, and now I'm crying and calling him.  I tried to ease down closer to the water so I could grab a tree and lean out and try to see him, but it's all too slippery and my leg just fell into the water up to my knee.  I was crying and calling him and sobbing like an idiot, sure that my dog was going to drown.  Then I couldn't get back up the bank for a minute because it was so muddy. 

I finally got out of the water, wiped my nose on my shirt and started running down the other way, looking for a better place to get down.  Oh, and I was talking to him the whole time, as if he were a person.  "Where are you?  Are you in the bushes?  I'm coming!"  I wasn't sure if he was trying to get to me and was stuck in the blackberry bushes, so I kept calling him, trying to encourage him.  I was extra worried because, really, in this whole time I had only heard him 2 or 3 times. 

I found another sort-of way down and started climbing down over mostly smashed blackberry bushes.  I got close to the water, but still didn't see him.  I heard him barking some more, so I grabbed a stick to help me over the mud & to move thorns out of my way.  I started heading along the creek, expecting to have to dive into the blackberry bushes to get him out. 

Down a little way, I tried again to get close to the water and look, but it wasn't working, so I just stepped right in again.  I was trying to psych myself up to just go out into the middle of the creek & look, but I was scared.  It was moving and I didn't know how deep it was and what kinds of branches & stuff were underwater.  I could tell that he was near, so I threw the stick I had out into the water and told him to get it.  Thankfully, his instincts kicked in again and I heard him start to swim.  I tell you, I was so very relieved.  I was still quite afraid.  So, it took him longer than I thought, but he finally came into view swimming along the side, and I grabbed him when he came near me. 

Of course, he was able to just hop right out, but I had to work for a couple minutes to get out of the water and up the muddy hill.  I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to just sacrifice my hands and grab onto a blackberry bush for leverage.  I was able to grab a tree and get out, and we squished our way back onto the trail. 

Part of me was all bummed and annoyed, thinking, "Oh, great!  I can't run the rest because my shoes & legs are all wet."  But then I just decided to pretend I was training for the Warrior Dash and did my normal walk/run thing.  I was wet, I had dirt all over my arms and legs, and blood and welts on my legs from the blackberry thorns.

Underwood, of course, immediately forgot that he had been in any sort of traumatic situation and even while I was still climbing up the bank, started to head back into the water because he had found a ball and then dropped it. 

So, he'll be on leash for a while, which is really just punishing both of us, because I don't like running with him on leash.  At least until the creek gets lower, though.  I don't need this again. 


In sum:  4.18 miles.  I almost had a negative split, but it didn't work out.  Maybe next time.  And trauma-free.