The ideal run

Herrchen and Frauchen have been busy over their summer break! I wasn’t bothered by the spades; it was the machine they brought in after they realised the ground was too hard and their backs were too soft that frightened me. Its heart growled and its gigantic circular legs moved slowly. The scariest part was its nose which extended unpredictably in front of it, almost scooping me up in its cavernous mouth with jagged teeth until I got wise and stayed out of its way.

The machine has gone now, leaving some sort of a trapdoor. Herrchen and Frauchen sip their evening drinks while gazing at it smugly, satisfied with its presence. At first I thought they were making a fireproof bunker – useful in this climate of tinder-dry trees and raging orange bushfires. Imagine my surprise when I found (embarrassingly, by falling into it)

the ideal run

Recovering from the indignity of my misplaced footing, I sniffed out my new surroundings. The earthy aroma of clay filled my nostrils and my paws were cooled by the damp earth. I trotted into the tunnel, curious to see where it led. It was long – lucky I have good vision in the dark – so it took quite a while until I came up out of

the ideal run

into a wide open area dotted with bush on its hillocks. I was greeted by a night full of stars, the summer breeze playing softly over me, bringing with it the irresistible scent of adventure. I was unsure which scent to follow first: the rabbits leading down into the blackberries, or the kangaroos leading over the hillocks. By my return, as the birds were stirring with the false dawn, I’d sniffed out everything! Every animal trail had been explored, my body revelling in its ability to leap and change direction in mid-air as I followed the tantalising scents of the night.

How kind of Herrchen and Frauchen to make

the ideal run

for me! I overheard something about safety and truck routes and fences and so on which I didn’t really understand … I just know they love me buckets to have made access to such a pleasure park for me! No more burning my paws on overheated bitumen by walking around town in stifling 40° heat. No more choking myself on the lead which constrains my runs when I’m prevented from following a wonderful smell. No feelings of insufficient exercise when I luxuriate exhaustedly into bed after returning home from

the ideal run