A second too soon. A mere second later and Clifford would be safely back inside the house. Taking off the leash a few steps away from the front door had never been an issue before. Now he watched as his dog took off across the street, running towards one of the neighbors.

With a scolding shout, hoping to draw his dog’s attention and possibly alert the person Clifford was after, Louis rushed after Clifford who’d already found his target, happily running up to the neighbor, tail wagging and lively eyes.

“Jesus, Clifford, what are you doing?” he said, exasperated as he finally managed to catch up. “I’m so sorry. He’s not normally like this. But he’s completely harmless,” he added, looking up from his misbehaved dog to the neighbor.