Careful! Or you’ll end up in my novel. Or Blog Post.

If you are a writer, I am sure inspiration striking you out of the blue is not a foreign concept.  It probably happens with most people in some fashion or another, even if writing isn’t your medium of expression.

I had such an event happen recently.  And in my fury, I decided that this could be a great blog post with a lesson to be learned.

It was a beautiful, sunny, Alaskan morning.   The birds were singing, the sun a kiss of warmth on the pale skin of Alaskans after our long winter.  It’s a balmy 65 degrees. It was damn refreshing!

I didn’t have much planned for the day aside from taking the girls down to a local dog health fair to have their eyes examined, a routine thing I do as part of my breeding protocols. Think of it as our human annual eye exams.  A day spent with my dogs and visiting with dog friends is always a good thing in my book.

As I am leaving the building with Ciara, my 14 ½-year-old, we must navigate a 6’x10’ area that functions as a lobby of sorts. The wall of the building is to our left, a counter to our right. A fellow health fair participant is leaning up against the counter, filling out her registration form.  Meanwhile, her dog is milling about the lobby area at the end of its 6’ lead, the owner completely oblivious.

For the sake of privacy, I won’t name the breed, but they are known to be friendly and have lots of golden hair.   This person isn’t a familiar face at local dog events, so it’s safe to say no one knows who this person is.

As I approach the gated section that leads from the central part of the building to the lobby area, I sit Ciara at my side in heel position and wait.  I politely asked the owner to gain control of her dog, who is now at the end of its 6’ leash, attempting to approach Ciara and me. Aside from curiosity, the dog isn’t showing any signs of being anything but friendly.

The owner gathers her dog, takes a few steps back, and asks, “Is your dog aggressive or something?”

Dumb-founded, and a little puzzled, I say, “No, it’s just rude to have another dog get up in your dog’s face when you are trying to go by.”

“Oh. You are one of those people.” she snidely replies.

Immediately, my hackles are up. 

Me? One of THOSE PEOPLE?  Has this chick looked in the mirror? Who the hell is out of line here?

I try to think of some clever comeback as Ciara and I make our way politely outside without incident.  While I am pretty good with the written word, thinking on my feet was never my strong suit. Probably a good thing, really.  I’m telling myself, “Be the bigger person,” “Take the high road,” and “Be the person my dog thinks I am.” All while wanting to spew venomously at her that she is a rude, careless, and crappy dog owner, who’s dog deserves better than her. 

GRRR!  I hate this high road business sometimes!

My temper simmers down as I shuttle the rest of my crew in and out for their exams. I am happy to report, they all passed.  Still fuming, I contemplate the situation on the drive home.

Here is the dangerous part of pissing off a writer. You become subject matter! I decided this situation was an excellent topic for The Labrador Lowdown.

Let’s dissect this situation a little as I think there are some lessons to be learned here.

As a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to keep your dog safe and under control. While this dog was on a leash, as was Ciara, it was permitted to wander wherever it pleased that the leash was allowed. The owner was dangerous to assume that Ciara was friendly.  The owner was ignorant to think that all dog owners want their dogs to interact with strange dogs.  

Assuming a strange dog is friendly is putting your dog and the other dog at risk. Suppose either dog had not been friendly and Ciara had not had good, basic obedience training. In that case, things could have gone south quickly, possibly resulting in a fight. Instead, the appropriate response would have been this.

The owner should have kept her dog with her, preferably sitting at her side, waiting as she completed the registration. Or at least, she could have gathered her dog to her side when she noticed that Ciara and I needed to get by.  Then, with the dogs safely under control, she could have asked, “Hey, could they say hi?”.

Approaching the situation in this fashion is respectful to both the humans and the dogs.  Each owner knows their dogs and what they can or can’t handle. Or at least should. Had I not wanted my dog to greet the other dog for whatever reason, it would have given me a respectful space to decline the offer.  The other owner doesn’t know my dog.  She doesn’t know if Ciara can’t see, has had a bad morning, or doesn’t like golden dogs with lots of hair.  None of these things affect Ciara in the least, but the other owner doesn’t know that. If I didn’t want Ciara to greet the other dog for no reason at all, that would have been ok too.

On the flip side, I don’t know that dog either.  I don’t know if that dog has some beef with chocolate Labradors and would all of the sudden lash out at the expense of my very senior dog. Maybe that dog is great at the end of the leash, but when we got closer to the owner, it would suddenly get very protective, perceiving my dog as a threat. I have known dogs who do have these issues.  These reasons aren’t farfetched.

This owner pushed the boundaries of myself and my dog.  She was disrespectful to me, Ciara, and even her dog. Dogs don’t come out of the womb knowing the correct ways to interact with our world.  It is up to us, their humans, to teach the dogs the ways of the world and defend their boundaries.  When your dog fails at this, it’s not the dog’s fault.  It’s yours as the owner.  Like kids, dogs need limits and rules on how to act and what expectations are of them.  When dogs understand these expectations, they are happy, well adjusted, and welcome members of society.

If you are wondering, I eventually did think of a clever comeback to that owner’s snide remark. And here it is. Albeit a while after the fact, but it sums up what I was feeling at the moment.  

If by “one of those people” you meant someone who respects and loves my dog enough to train and watch out for her safety, aka a responsible dog owner, then I’m guilty as charged.  That’s a label I am damn proud to wear.