I had climbed the ladder to trim branches when suddenly my dog caught the cuff of my trousers in his teeth and yanked me down. In that moment, I began to grasp the reason for his strange actions.
That day keeps vivid in my memory. The morning sky was heavy with dark clouds, the air thick and unmoving, like the calm before a storm. It looked inevitable that rain would soon fall. Still, I decided not to postpone my task—I needed to cut the dried limbs from the old apple tree near the house. The ladder had already been set out in readiness, and despite the threatening weather, I resolved to finish the job.
I leaned the ladder against the trunk and started climbing. I had gone only a few steps when I felt a sudden tug from behind. Glancing back, I froze in disbelief.
My dog was clambering after me. His paws slipped against the rungs, claws scraping the metal, his eyes locked directly on mine.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Stay down!”
I tried waving him away, but he rose on his hind legs again, bracing himself on the steps with his front paws. Then he bit the fabric of my trousers and pulled so abruptly that I nearly toppled backward.
“Hey! Are you insane?” I snapped. “Let go!”
But he refused. Digging in his paws, he tugged harder, determined to drag me back down.
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