[get here late?...you can catch up on part 1 or part 2]

So where were we?….

Ah yes,…the Mooch.

She was loose, running wild & frightening the heck out of the KATUSA who caused all this chaos to begin with.

I knew I had to round her up, but you try rounding up a dog who doesn’t have a place to run free every day.

When we were in Oklahoma, Maggie was let off the leash at least twice a day to run through the fields behind our apartment during our walks.

[big, longing, homesick sigh]

Now that we’re in Korea letting her off the leash is risky. While it’s not a no-no, it is a definitie gamble. We’re in a country where the majority of people are terrified of big dogs & I have no idea of how to say,

“Oh it’s ok; she’s just a puppy. She won’t hurt you – she wants to play.”

(Not that that would make much difference anyway.)

To make matters worse, there is no dog park on base. The request has been made & shot down who knows how many times.

There was an old baseball field tucked out of the way that dog owners took their dogs to…it was an off-the-radar kinda thing.

But by the time I had found out where it was, it had all this construction fencing around it – victim of the ever-growing, ever-expanding make-over Camp Humphreys is getting to house more troops.

[moving on]

Of course I was obligated to try to round her up. So I did…and failed miserably at it.

Calling her name wasn’t working. Whistling at her wasn’t working. Not even the sweet smell of milk bones was working.

So while the KATUSA continued to play dead & the soldier continued to figure out what to do, I looked like an idiot trying to grab her every time she buzzed by us.

Anger… Embarrassment… Frustration… Humiliation…

I felt it all & just when it seemed like I’d never get her back on the leash, she decided she would take me up on that big milk bone after all.

Running full steam she bee-lined straight for me abruptly stopping – and sitting, mind you - right in front of me.

Full of smiles, slobber & heavy breathing, I slipped the collar & leash back on her.

Then I stared down the KATUSA.

I so desperately wanted to yell,

‘Here’s a tip! If a woman with a big-ass 120-pound dog tells you to stop, YOU STOP! How hard is that?’

But I didn’t. So I let the rest of my tirade play out in my head. I was quite eloquent & self-righteous, by the way.

Then I smiled & apologized profusely to the soldier then turned quickly with Maggie Moo in tow to head back home.

Just as I turned I saw it.

The KATUSA had headed back up the hill & was being stared down by two more soldiers with rifles.

I heard the soldiers yell out, ‘Stop right there! On your knees. Get on your knees!’

Crap.

That’s why he didn’t stop.

He thought I was part of the game.