*I’m kind of a big deal.
*That’s fierce! (Christian from Project Runway)
*Put on your big girl panties and deal with it.
*You’re a little black dog in a big yellow lab world, and no one cares about your troubles. (To Guinness, making sure she understands doggy racism and The Hierarchy)
*How do you like them apples?
*Cake! Pie hole! Now!
*Don’t make me have to RAISE UP!
Yep. I have a little bit of time on my hands today. Actually, I’ve been doing all day and I’m finally sitting down and have a moment to think. Sadly, that’s what came to mind. I do have a good thought about my run to relate. I did a run that should have taken me +/- 45 min, running the whole time and it took me about 45 minutes with 4 walk breaks. I guess that explains why I couldn’t breathe. I still have a bunch of stuff in my chest from my cold and it’s really getting aggravated when I run.
After I ran, I took Guinness to the dog park aka The Swamp. Since my dog is a delicate flower, she likes to find the deepest part of the huge 50 feet long puddles and lie down, cooling herself off. I’m fine with it, but I always get dumb comments from other dog owners that accompany this small act of beauty and grace. She also had issues with her herding instinct today when about 5 small dogs started running and chasing. She did round them up nicely, and since I knew what she was doing, I thought it was hilarious, but getting her to lay off and refocus on the ball is a BEAR. Her herding instinct overrides her instinct to chase the ball as her other job.
So, there was a woman with a really cute puppy there, who did not really know much about dogs and how they play. I smelled disaster from the moment she walked up to me and started talking, so I started walking and throwing the ball, walking away from her and the puppy. Eventually, I made my way back to where the “pack” was playing and this woman had her puppy back on leash, because she could not get him to come to her when called. So, dude with a pit puppy and a boxer walks by, and of course, the pit puppy “attacks” her puppy. (Not really, but her dog squealed and the pit did not release right away. Like pits do. Like other dogs do.) She’s going nuts, escalating the whole thing, then I see her yank her puppy up off the ground by the leash and I’m thinking that she’s going to kill her dog. Guinness, being The Regulator, decided she should go make them stop fighting and herded them and barked at them until they calmed down. The whole thing was freakish and a little scary, and I was once again struck by how STUPID dog owners are. The pit’s owner was really cool, calm, and had it under control and the crazy lady would not stop. I thought she might re-escalate the dogs and got Guinness out of there. Long post, I know. I just can’t stop thinking about how much of a problem the people always are and how, if most folks would simply step in with authority and, frankly, a firm foot aimed at the offending dog, things would end in seconds. I’m not saying KICK a dog. I’m saying shove the dog with your foot and act like the alpha dog. I’ve done it. It works. I understand the panic, but if people want to take their dogs to dog parks then they absolutely have to know how to deal first with their own dog, second with other people’s dogs, who might not be trained. Whew. Long day. I’m glad we did so much training. She Runs starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Guinness on her first camping trip a few years ago:
“Do you think that is appropriate?!”