Boomer, the Bad Dog

Yesterday afternoon, while at my in-laws, my SIL N. was taking her dog out to do business. Boomer snuck around her and got out. He had been watching the squirrel activity off and on during the day - so I think that's where he was headed. I heard N yell to me, went running out and realized what was going on. I tried the emergency recall - did not work. A later told me I did it wrong. I was supposed to yell the magic word "Here" and then run away from him, so that he would follow me. My bad. Anyway - Boomer ran to the neighbor's house, around the side yard, jumped off a wall, through pricker bushes, back to in-law's house, around another neighbor - all over. I would yell "get over here" and he would stop running away from me, would head back to me - but at a mad dash so that I could not catch him. In retrospect, I think he thought it was some huge game. I was scared. He was just running like a madman - or a maddog - and it was an unfamiliar neighborhood. He's only been there a couple of times. He finally went running up a neighbor's driveway and between their fence and garage. Fortunately, there was only one way out and one way in. He realized that, saw me standing at the entrance and kind of sheepishly came up to me. As we brought him back to the in-law's, A was dealing with the disciplining of him and saw he was bleeding. I just wanted to cry. MIL was crying, SIL was shaking. I think I was the only one who saw where he had been and really knew how badly he could have been hurt. He had a scratch on his belly and he skinned his chin. He didn't seem upset - except for having been caught - only the people were upset. I was stressed the rest of the day and all the way home. All I could think of was how fast he got away and how we could have lost him. I love that little boy.