The Grill Tried to Eat My Dog

Sampson our new Great Dane, has a tendency to visit Ava, our neighbors dog, as much as he can. Since he's made his new friend, he doesn't listen too well to Mom and Dad.  In the above picture, Sampson was about 10 pounds and 8 weeks old. Now, Sampson is four months old, and over 60! So picture this story...if you will.

Saturday, we bought Sampson a tie out. Basically, a 25 ft long chain so he can run around the yard still, but not escape and irritate the neighbors. I thought that I would let him outside to use the restroom Sunday, and so, I hooked him up, and let him go. I went downstairs to fold a load of towels.

When I returned upstairs 5 minutes later, I looked out my patio window, and noticed our grill, that my co host Chad gave us, was in a million ca-zillion pieces all over the patio. There was charcoal dust in the air, and pieces of the grill everywhere. I looked for Sampson, and all I saw at the end of the chain was an empty leash.  No Sampson...ANYWHERE.

After calling for him a few minutes, he came out from behind the chicken coop crying. He was obviously shaken. He wouldn't go to the patio. I had to let him in the garage door, and he ran straight to his kennel..shaking!

I had to put myself in his shoes. Can you imagine what he was thinking? I'm sure he didn't realize that his chain had got wrapped around the leg of the charcoal grill. (FYI- The grill was NOT in use.) In his mind, this usually still object, that he has seen sitting on the patio since he's lived with us, all of a sudden started following him around...loudly...breaking apart...barking dust at him and chasing him.

Luckily Sampson didn't have even ONE mark on him, physically. But mentally, I'm afraid he's never going to look at charcoal grill's the same way.