creative writing - How do I stop using 'the' to start sentences so much?

Something that always bothers me in my writing is how often I start sentences with the word "the".

A terrible nonsensical example:

The dog ran through the rain-swept streets, chasing a ball he thought he'd lost. The ball was just ahead of him, always out of reach. The ball was a dull red colour, difficult to see through the rain. The dog was gaining on it, slowly but surely.

Note: this isn't an extract of something I've written but a quick sample to demonstrate the problem. Answers that only deal with restructuring this particular paragraph are not useful.

I'm not concerned with the quality of my writing overall. I know that's something that will improve with time and practice. This also isn't about overuse of "the" in general, which would be a duplicate of this question.

What techniques can I use to prevent myself from starting sentences with "the"?

Answer

1. 
   

   Start with a word ending in 'ing'. e.g. Opening the door, he stepped into the dark. Chasing a ball he thought he'd lost, the dog ran through the rain-swept streets.

   
   
   


2. 
   

   Start with a preposition (so a prepositional phrase). e.g. At the time of the incident she was in London. Through the rain the ball was difficult to see.

   
   


3. 
   

   Start with an adverb. e.g. Yesterday, the murderer felt guilt. Slowly but surely the dog was gaining on it.

   
   


4. 
   

   Begin with a subordinating conjunction (so a subordinate clause). e.g. Although he was starving, the man refused to eat. Because it was raining, the dog got wet.

   
   



5. 
   

   Write a passive sentence i.e. object + verb. e.g. All the chocolates were eaten.