While gardening, I heard my neighbor call to her dog. 'Here Trixie, come to momma! Momma loves you! Where's my little snoogums?'
No response.
Then; 'Trixie! I said come!!!'
Nothing.
Then; Trixie, you *!#*^&! Dog! If I ever get my hands on you, I'm gonna...'
And I thought; now there is a bi-polar dog in the making.
My own dog, Sadie, not wanting to disrupt her repose, raised an eyebrow.
Later, I decided to take Sadie for a stroll. Clearly awakened from her stupor, she dragged me around the neighborhood. It's all or nothing with you, girl. huh? I puffed.
While reading the sign clearly stating that all dogs must be on a leash, leashless 'Lester' bound past us at breakneck speed, while his owner begged, pleaded and cajoled him to stop. The dog turned his head as if to acknowledge Sadie without a pause in his pace. The expression on his part Golden Lab, part Wolf face said 'I am in charge, and he is not'. And I thought; now that owner needs to be in a co-dependent recovery group.
Up ahead, a pudgy Pug sporting a sweater seemed to be dancing some kind of jig. He'd take a couple of steps, stop and snort, take a couple more and do the same. Obsessive/compulsive. I noted.
I looked down at Sadie, squatting for her evening duty. While waiting, I thought about possible titles for a new book: Boundaries for Dogs, or: Dogs are from Mars and People are from Venus, or: Dogs, and the People who Love to Hate Them, or my personal favorite: Poopers and Their Scoopers, a Fresh Step.
And then THEY walked by. An Airedale, striding effortlessly beside her master, not pulling on the leash. She plumed past the rest of us like the queen of the community. Her owner said nothing but a proper 'Hello' as the two glided ahead in quiet unison; the epitome of dog/master synchronization.
No dog is born that way. It must have taken years of obedience school, hours of practice, and tons of cash...I rationalized.
I gazed down at the pile in front of me. Of course I'd forgotten the bag. We had to go back home and start over. So frustrated by my forgetfulness, it took a couple of blocks to realize Sadie was walking right beside me.
A breathless woman chasing her errant Cockapoo stopped mid-stride, and gaped at us. 'That is such a well-behaved dog! What is your secret?' she asked.
'No secret, just timing. You caught us between extremes.' I answered.
