Recently, drinking chamomile tea has become like an alcohol addiction.

During a weekly Sunday afternoon walk with my son’s exuberant, charming and spirited dog, Tootsie spotted two small dogs. She fixated on them. When the diminutive dogs caught sight of Tootsie, they unleashed a delirium of high-pitched yips and taunts from the safety of their side of the street.

Panic set in when I saw the tip of Tootsie’s tail engage. Under her breath, she growled.

The content of their canine conversation was a mystery, leaving me unsure if Tootsie’s excitement was to play with them, sniff them or eat them.

Given Tootsie’s large, solid, and formidable physique, it is no surprise that she is frequently misunderstood. As a precaution, I try to find walking routes where we can avoid people, dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, chipmunks, or skunks. Finding such a place can be a challenge.

Typically, I am on high alert for such encounters, but on that day, I was unprepared for two reasons. First, it was raining—pouring, actually. It had been raining all afternoon. I thought it would be safe to walk with Tootsie, assuming no one else would be out in this weather. Second, my hyperactive radar, which diligently scans for other dogs, was momentarily preoccupied as I attended to the less glamorous task of cleaning up Tootsie’s waste. I silently wished for giant eco-friendly bags capable of accommodating this monstrous deposit.

Before I had a chance to retrieve diversion treats from my pocket, Tootsie had ‘locked- on’ to the little furry dogs, and within a millisecond, the adventure began. My quick-thinking strategy was to grab hold of a nearby tree as an anchor with one hand while tightly gripping the dog leash with the other. However, the rain-soaked tree slipped through my grasp, leaving me out of control of the situation.

Since I was uncertain of Tootsie’s intentions, it was critical that I not let go of that leash. But I could not gain any traction. Tootsie powered ahead, dragging me behind her as if I were a mere inconvenience. Amidst the chaos, I caught a glimpse of the man frozen in place, standing behind his yapping pets as they continued their unrelenting barking and bantering. Confused and astonished, the man watched Tootsie, the giant runaway dog, bounce straight toward him.

I have no idea where the dog poop went.

And then the inevitable happened—my descent, my fall, or should I say… my heroic dive, in a final attempt to hold back Tootsie’s pursuit of the yappy creatures across the street.

Except… she didn’t stop.

Tootsie persevered with unwavering determination, dragging me along behind her as we crossed the typically quiet street—although it was far from quiet at that moment. An approaching car had to brake abruptly to avoid hitting us. As Tootsie hauled me along, instead of praying for my life, my thoughts centered on the front of my new running jacket being shredded on the unforgiving pavement. While halfway across the road, still with a ‘death grip’ on the leash, Tootsie inexplicably paused her mission and glanced back at me. Her tail wagged with vigor, her tongue heavily hung out, and she sported a befuddled expression at my dawdling and apparent lack of enthusiasm for the little dogs.  

Sprawled face-down on the ground, I contemplated how to gracefully get back up and continue our walk, pretending as though no one had witnessed my super-save of the STILL yapping dogs. I told myself that the driver of the car remained oblivious to the sideshow, as did the motionless man across the street and the neighbours peeking through their windows, undoubtedly lured by the screech of brakes and the canine commotion.

Dramatically, I rose to my feet. Summoning unknown reserves of strength, I pulled Tootsie closer to me and mentally scanned my body for any broken bones.

I found the dog poop. Only a small amount remained in the squished doggie bag made of delicate plastic, no stronger than tissue paper. Limping back home, my neighbour intercepted me with the exciting news that red wine was on the agenda for the afternoon in celebration of her birthday.

Maintaining a careful distance due to my undeniable odour of dog excrement, I contemplated to myself…

A soothing cup of chamomile tea or a celebratory bottle of red wine.