Is there anything worse than people who bore you with stories about their children and pets? The answer is no. There is nothing worse than people who bore you with stories about their children and pets.
Let me tell you a story about my dog. Her name is Katie Dog (pictured). She’s maybe 7 months old. We’re not sure because she’s a rescue mutt. Yesterday my wife took her up to the White Rock Lake Dog Park to stretch her legs. Bad things happened. Tears were shed. I’ll actually let my wife tell you the story. Here’s the email she sent me toward the end of the day yesterday:
It’s a nice day, Katie can’t run in our yard [ed: don’t ask], and it was 3 pm. I figured it would be a good, safe time to let her blow off some steam at the White Rock Dog Park.
Within minutes of entering, five dogs came to greet her. Normal.
Then, one part-pit-bull-looking dog got aggressive. Rammed her into the fence once. Twice. Heard her wimper and yelp. Other dogs started joining in. The pit bull dog was mean, relentlessly pushing her, nipping at her. I ran across the field, screamed no, inserted myself as a barrier, pushed him with my foot several times, yanked him off Katie by his collar and screamed, “WHO’S DOG IS THIS????” I started kicking at the dog.
By this time, several other adults came over to help pull dogs off the Katie pile-on. Finally the owner ambles over and, without an apology, leashes his dog and asks me how old mine is. I answer quietly (voice shaking). He leaves quietly (I hope tail between his legs).
Today, I learned that even though Katie Dog is our dog, whose needs come after everyone else’s in our family, including Bunny’s [ed: my daughter plush toy security doll], my Momma Bear instincts extend to even her. As that lazy loaf of a dog owner a**hole left with his a**hole dogs, and I realized Katie was safe, the pent-up adrenaline of being in a dog brawl and defending my canine cub gave way to big, fat tears. That’s normal, right?
Thank God for the dog owners who helped me bust up the brawl, then came by after things settled down to make sure I was ok. There was Quiet-Shy Guy, Outspoken Punky Woman (who said she was glad I yelled at a**hole — his dog had started three other fights before we got there), and Gentle Biker Dude with three Australian shepherds that seemed to loiter around Katie in a protective barrier of fur and teeth.
There is great signage at the park about picking up poop, keeping your dog hydrated, and which size dogs go where. There should be an eBay-like policy for dog owners. If you can’t keep your dog under control, then you get black listed and you’re not allowed back in.The lake’s 100-year anniversary seems like a perfect time to roll out such a policy.
