Stupid People

March 21, 2007. The bounds of human stupidity seem to know few limits. Case in point. Today, Tom and I went to the park as usual. As we arrived with me still on-leash a fellow showed up with his little puff ball dog, off-leash and walked over towards us. The little dog came up and was yapping at me like crazy. Showing my newly won maturity though, I sat and then dropped down into a Zen down position.

Tom told the man that I don’t play well with little dogs and meanwhile the puff ball dog kept yapping away and then started lunging at me. I tolerated it for awhile and then I decided it was enough and I got up and lunged back. Scared heck out of the puff ball and the man. Good thing I was still on-leash.

Now the question comes to mind is why would you allow your little dog to come up off-leash to a big dog who is a stranger to it? It makes you shake your head sometimes.

The chicken wing dancers were there and they were confining themselves to their play area and I was staying in mine. They were happy flapping their arms and I was happy chasing my ball. One of the new dancers arrived late and decided she was going to walk around the park. Not a problem, walk the perimeter of the park sure, but not her. She decides to walk on a diagonal right across my chasing path.

Tom changed the throwing direction and the woman altered her path and began walking towards me flapping her arms. She again intersected my pathway and entered my turf. Again the question comes to mind, why would someone approach a large strange dog acting strangely? The only answer that comes to mind is that she was trying to provoke me into doing something.

Big surprise for her though, nothing she did managed to draw my attention away from Tom and my tennis ball. I stayed right beside him and kept playing with my ball until she decided she’d had enough and left. She went back to her flock and left us alone.

Tom was left shaking his head by her antics and by my strict obedience to him. I have graduated into the world of the obedient dog and away from the world of the over exuberant puppy. As a result of this I was able to get in a full hour of running and playtime.