An old dog teaches a (somewhat) younger human new tricks

I like to think, when I take our almost 14-year-old chocolate lab for a walk at 4:30 in the morning, that I’m the guy who’s in control. After all, I’m the one wearing a headlamp, Unlike Aquinnah, I don’t get easily distracted by mysterious substances on the ground. And I’m a bit younger than Aquinnah, who’s roughly 88 years old in human terms. But, as is often the case, I’m wrong.

Aquinnah and I were approaching the house at the end of our walk this morning when he became agitated. He tugged at the leash, and began huffing. I stopped in my tracks. But I saw nothing. Heard nothing. I scanned our surroundings. Still nothing. A false alarm, perhaps? Then, movement a few feet in front of us. A small, skittish creature, walking back and forth. An elevated tail. The faint outline of a white stripe.

Thanks to Aquinnah’s still-keen eyesight or, more likely, his sharp sense of smell, the alert old fella saved the day by preventing us from getting skunked.