Molly is very predictable. She loves breaking down cardboard boxes. She loves chasing the reflection from the glass on watches. She fetches potatoes. She will only pee in large patches of dirt, like the backyard. She won’t pee or poop while she’s on the leash. She cries when she sees other dogs. She will sniff anything that she can. She is infatuated with succulents and cacti. She’s afraid of cats. She’ll stick her head in any paper bag, just to see if the compost is available to sample from.
She’s not an angel, but we know what she will do. I forget a lot that not everyone realizes this.
I took her for a walk today, after running her around to burn off some energy. We walked down the street and she started sniffing all the lawns and plants all the way down the street. We almost reached the corner and she spotted a cactus. I thought, great. We’ll be here a while as she started her full investigation of the cactus. I looked up and saw my neighbor watching us.
He looked at me and snapped “I don’t want your dog peeing there.” I explained that she just likes smelling everything and she already peed before we left the house. He rudely said “well, I have a seven year old to protect, so she’d better not.”
I just walked away with Molly. I started thinking. What exactly is he protecting his kid from? Dog pee? I suppose that he could catch leptospirosis, but she’d have to have been infected, and she did get a vaccination for it because she played in a river a while ago. These infections are pretty rare in humans, anyhow. Doesn’t the neighbor have bigger problems if his kid is playing with a cactus?
I decided to let it go. I know my dog and it’s really none of his business if my dog stops to smell the roses. Or cactus in this case.
bookworm at the gym 