Most pet owners are by-the-book-law-abiding citizens but there are those we must call out for the sake of their pets and well… just because Momma and I are born this way.
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. My only complaint and I always can find something, was that this kind of not hot, not cool, just right temperature, brings all those owners out that walk their dog once a week, if the sun shines, if nothing more pressing is on the immediate horizon and goes without saying, if the creek doesn’t rise.
Momma says these poor dogs do not know how to even walk on a leash. They are so excited that they are jumping and bucking like wild stallions, saddled for the first time ever. The owners are oblivious, since like their children, their dogs can do no wrong.
In a fit of pure love (laced with buyers regret) some owners decide any park is an off the leash zone (NOT) and their well-behaved (in the eyes of the beholder) should be free, like the wind, to run hither and fro, jumping in front of bikers and joggers, knocking down toddlers, terrifying the old folks, who are leaning on their walkers, with trepidation, waiting for their next broken bone to happen.
And the owner….well,,,, he / she is checking their messages on their iPhone, texting, starting long drawn out ‘he said, she said’ conversations, probably with another deadbeat dog owner who has unleashed their dog in another park.
What this means is that as an Ultimate Earth Dog, I have to be on high alert and have my 360 degree head swivel tilt in place to avoid crossing path with this poor creature who thinks the whole world wants to play with him and doesn’t mind being slobbered on. Well, call me crotchety, but I like to choose who I play with and no slobbering, p-l-e-a-s-e. You never can tell what kind of canine germs could be passed on and with my immune system being so rickety, there is no end to the diseases I could end up with.
After every walk Momma sanitizes me head to toe with baby wipes. Knowing Momma, next step would be quarantine if I had a relapse and I enjoy my walks, so please, you ignore me, I will gladly ignore you.
Then there are dogs who yank at their leashes, growling ferociously because they are scared to meet up with me, I suspect – all twenty pounds of might. On a good day, I might lick you to death…. like I am a real threat…. an out of control hand grenade. Their dog never acts like that at home, they claim…and we believe them….nod…wink.
Here’s a free tip. Train your dog to realize a leash is a good thing. It is not a restraint to fight.
If you want the dog off leash, take it to the designated Off Leash Dog Park. A dog is a commitment. With patience, time, and training, we will give back even more than we receive. I hate to admit it but I was quite the tough case myself. I would be gone with the wind every time I saw the opportunity. Now, even given the opportunity, I don’t bolt, because well, someone has to look after my Clumsy Mumsy. It is never too late to start. Hey, NOW works.
So lay a little training on me (us). Honey, doggone it, I (we) depend upon it, so lay a little training on me (us).
