08/22/2025
AS I CLIMBED THE LADDER TO PRUNE THE BRANCHES, MY DOG GRABBED THE HEM OF MY TROUSERS WITH HIS TEETH AND PULLED ME DOWN—AT THAT MOMENT, I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD WHY HE ACTED SO STRANGELY. That day remains sharp in my memory. The sky was heavy with gray clouds, the air thick and unmoving. It seemed the rain would fall at any moment. Yet I decided not to delay—those dried branches on the old apple tree needed cutting. The ladder had been waiting for weeks, and despite the gloomy morning, I told myself: today is the day. I leaned it against the trunk and started up. But I had barely climbed a few rungs when I felt a sudden jolt from behind. I turned—and froze in shock. My dog was trying to climb after me. His paws slid off the steps, his claws scraped the metal, and his eyes never left mine. “What are you doing?” I laughed nervously. “Stay down there.” I waved him off, but he rose on his hind legs again, gripping the rungs. Then, without war:ning, he bit into the cuff of my trousers and tugged so hard I nearly toppled backward. “Hey! Have you lost your mind?” I snapped. “Let go!” But he refused. Bracing against the ladder, he hauled me downward with all his strength. Irritation tangled with an uneasy dre:ad. Why was he doing this? Was it play? No—his eyes carried something urgent. A plea. A warning. As though he wanted to say: Don’t go up. I scolded him, raising my voice: “Enough! Leave me alone. I need to cut these branches!” But the moment I climbed higher, he seized my leg again and pulled with such force that I almost slipped. My chest tightened with fear—one slip, and I’d be badly hurt. Panting, I stopped. This couldn’t continue. One way or another, he’d cause me to fall. I had to act. Climbing down, I fixed him with a stern look. “Fine. Since you’re so clever, you’ll sit on the chain.” He ducked his head in shame, but I still led him to the kennel and fastened him. At last, I thought, I could finish the task in peace. I grasped the ladder again, preparing to climb—when something unexpected split the air 😢😨 That w
