Sue:

I have the unfortunate distinction of being the only person I know who spent significant time on a dog run. As a toddler, I wandered out onto the road. My mom knew something was wrong when she heard a semi slam on its brakes. Thereafter, I was allowed to play in the front yard on the dog run.

My wife likes to imagine the scene when my father would come home from work and I would run across the hard to hug him, only to be brought up short by the chain.

No one ever questioned my mom's practicality.