Day kabillionth of having to walk the dogs. Jack woke me this morning to let me know the pool guys were here and, oh by the way, since I was up, he needed to pee. I dragged my sorry self out of bed, started the coffee and hitched him up for a walk. It is a lot like getting a horse saddled up for a ride.
Jack did his thing, then surprised me by wanting to take a walk. Okay. I hadn't had my coffee yet, and my eyes weren't fully open, but I'm familiar with the territory, so we walked. We had just passed the next door neighbor's driveway when I heard a voice behind me.
It was a guy who's been around here forever - a landscaper. I know him but I wasn't sure about Jack. The guy was undeterred. He asked if Jack was friendly then didn't even wait for my answer. He dropped to his knees and put his arms around Jack! I was frozen in place expecting Jack to rip his throat out.
Thankfully, I worried for naught, because Jack turned into a puppy who immediately fell in love with this stranger and forgot I even exist. I lost complete control of the situation. My command to keep his feet on the ground went unheeded as Jack tried to hug the guy back. It was a love fest and I had no other recourse but to stand there and watch.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate animal lovers. But there is a right way and a wrong way to approach unfamiliar dogs on a leash. Jack weighs 180 pounds! I had control until this guy decided to take over the situation. He got down on Jack's level which was, fortunately, unthreatening to Jack. Okay - but when I gave Jack his commands, the guy dismissed them, and so did Jack. In the future, not everyone will drop to their knees when meeting Jack, and he may think of that as aggressive.
When I finally got control of the situation, and Jack, we continued on our walk but I was shaken. What just happened? It could have had a very different outcome. This blustery guy may think he's all that and well meaning, but it was about him, not me or even Jack.
A true animal lover would think about the dog and the owner first - not their own ego. My problem is, I don't want to hurt people's feelings so I just let stuff happen. Oh, don't get me wrong, I can go toe-to-toe with a bully. But there is a type worse than a blatantly aggressive or nasty person. They are the people who think they can charm their way into doing what they want. They are the real bullies. Shoot - we've been warned about people like that for centuries....
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