Free Running Dogs

So I was walking to work, as is customary when one has work to walk to, when I noticed an ominous bright red sign nailed to the front door of a house. Having walked the exact same path almost everyday for the past six months, I was surprised I hadn't seen it before but, then again, having walked the exact same path almost everyday for the past six months, I'm no longer in the habit of paying much attention to my surroundings. Funnily enough this also explains why I'm fairly certain that it did not, in fact, read "Caution: free running dogs".


Nevertheless, wow, I thought, dogs practicing parkour, that sounds like a whole lot of fun - I bet it's like the opening scene of Casino Royale in there, except instead of Daniel Craig chasing a miscellaneous 'bad man' across a building site, there's a chihuahua running from a yorkshire terrier across a living room; sliding under a coffee table, scaling a sofa, tight-roping a clothes horse. Later that day, approximately 30 seconds to be precise, I realised two things:

1. Firstly, a dog free running isn't really all that impressive. In fact, isn't that just what they do? Isn't that what most animals do? For instance, only this morning I witnessed Tilly jump up and over a bed, skid through a door way, bounce off a wall and scale the side of a bath tub in order to reach the litter tray at the other end of the house. There was no need (yes, the tray is on the floor, thank you very much, clear of obstacles and with open access!); she just did it. You see, animals aren't tied down to predefined paths like we are, walking straight to the toilet like idiots. They are free runners by nature. 
2. Secondly, given the above, the sign may as well have read "Caution: free running dogs". 

And with that, I carried on walking to work; along the same road, over the same crossing, through the same subway and past the same bus stop.

P.S. Just for the record, I am perfectly happy to walk straight to the toilet.