Since it was a Friday night during lent, my husband and I decided to eat dinner at the Red Lobster. It was very busy. The hostess told us it would be a 45 minute wait. We decided to wait. But since we had our dog Abby in the car I went out to make sure she was comfortable. I removed her leash and fixed her dog blanket. We had our dinner which probably came to a two hour wait that Abby had in the car. It was not very cold so I was sure she was fine. She was. But after we settled in the car I noticed a paper tucked under the windshield wiper. It said
"Hello
mean parents
Arf forgot my doggy
baggy again. next time I
P on seat.
Yours unruly
underdog"
I got to thinking. I wonder how long the average dog spends in a lonely dog crate when the owners are working. Abby is never in a crate. She is included with almost everything I do. I spend a lot of time and energy with my dog. I was hurt someone would think poorly about me.
The next day I took Abby to the park. We took our usual path. But as we rounded the bend near the childrens playground a little girl started running straight toward Abby and me. Her mother tried only once yelling "Get back here" but then just stood there. At first I thought surely this little girl isn't running full speed ahead to a 90 pound German Shepherd/Saluki mix. Surely her mother wouldn't allow it. But closer and closer she got. Finally as she reached the opposite side of the sidewalk I yelled" Don't come near the dog" in a very stern voice. The little girl cocked her head to one side and asked "Whhyyyy" is a whiny tone that implied that I had a lot of nerve telling her what to do. I said "Because she is not a friendly dog." Now all this happened in a matter of seconds during which time Abby was unaware of everything and was blissfully smelling a trash can. (Yuck) But now that I was talking she became alerted to the fact that someone was there. She stared straight in the girl's face and gave a warning growl. Now for Abby that is remarkable self-control because her usual instincts are to growl, bark, show teeth, pull, and generally appear as vicious as possible. I was very proud. The little girl wasn't as impressed. Instead she raised her hands to cover her ears and began screaming in a manner that could only be compared to a scene in a horror movie. I shook my head and made a ninety degree turn across the baseball field.
I love dogs. I donate money to dog shelters. I donate money to the humane society. I would never want a dog hurt or abused. But my point to both tails about Abby are: people should mind their own business and leave other peoples dogs alone.
"Hello
mean parents
Arf forgot my doggy
baggy again. next time I
P on seat.
Yours unruly
underdog"
I got to thinking. I wonder how long the average dog spends in a lonely dog crate when the owners are working. Abby is never in a crate. She is included with almost everything I do. I spend a lot of time and energy with my dog. I was hurt someone would think poorly about me.
The next day I took Abby to the park. We took our usual path. But as we rounded the bend near the childrens playground a little girl started running straight toward Abby and me. Her mother tried only once yelling "Get back here" but then just stood there. At first I thought surely this little girl isn't running full speed ahead to a 90 pound German Shepherd/Saluki mix. Surely her mother wouldn't allow it. But closer and closer she got. Finally as she reached the opposite side of the sidewalk I yelled" Don't come near the dog" in a very stern voice. The little girl cocked her head to one side and asked "Whhyyyy" is a whiny tone that implied that I had a lot of nerve telling her what to do. I said "Because she is not a friendly dog." Now all this happened in a matter of seconds during which time Abby was unaware of everything and was blissfully smelling a trash can. (Yuck) But now that I was talking she became alerted to the fact that someone was there. She stared straight in the girl's face and gave a warning growl. Now for Abby that is remarkable self-control because her usual instincts are to growl, bark, show teeth, pull, and generally appear as vicious as possible. I was very proud. The little girl wasn't as impressed. Instead she raised her hands to cover her ears and began screaming in a manner that could only be compared to a scene in a horror movie. I shook my head and made a ninety degree turn across the baseball field.
I love dogs. I donate money to dog shelters. I donate money to the humane society. I would never want a dog hurt or abused. But my point to both tails about Abby are: people should mind their own business and leave other peoples dogs alone.
