Episode notes
I pass the same dog nearly every day on my run. He’s a beast of a creature—massive, snarling, all teeth and fury, the kind of dog you instinctively cross the street to avoid. Or at least, he would be—if not for one crucial detail: he’s tethered.
Not just any leash either. This dog is bound by a thick choker collar, attached to a heavy log chain that clinks and groans with his every lunge. The chain runs taut to a stake buried deep in the ground, reinforced with a slab of concrete as if his fury alone might otherwise rip it free.
Every day, it’s the same show. He hears me coming and charges full force toward the edge of his tiny domain. There’s even a worn rut in the dirt where his assaults always end—the outer limit of his reach. He growls, bares his teeth, and I jog past, heart racing but face calm. I’ve learned the routine. He’s all ...