Intolerance, impatience and lack of humility foremost among them.
They were ALL on display this afternoon. We have a series of nasty storms lined up off the coast beginning tonight and continuing through the rest of the week. So I decided to take Colin to the dog park before it turns into a giant mud hole.
There were 5 other dogs there happily playing, run, chasing, digging in the mud. 2 of the dogs left so we were there with the notorious Huckleberry from previous posts, who was on excellent behavior today and a beautiful golden retriever who doesn't understand retrieving. Oh well we all have our flaws. The 3 of them were having a great time playing independently and together.
Another dog arrived, the usual response is all the other dogs run down the hill to check out the newcomer then run back up the hill and start playing. Not so much today. From where the 3 of us sat we could here shrieking but couldn't understand the words. Turns out it was a teenage girl (who needed a muzzle) yelling they're attacking him, they're attacking him. Owner lets said dog off leash and of course everyone wants to check him out. Screaming teenager is still screaming thereby causing all the dogs to be in a frenzy. Stupid owner 1) didn't understand that the other dogs were just checking her's out and 2) did not tell her kid to shut up because she was adding to the frenzy. Instead owner does not leash her dog but keeps dragging it around and WOW SURPRISE, all the others follow. While the 3 of us are asking her to get her dog under control so we can get our's, the fucking bitch kicks Colin in the head and keeps insisting he's being aggressive. Um no that would just you and your shrieking kid being stupid. She finally stays in one place long enough that the 3 of us are able to grab our dogs and put them in a time out. I told her rather sternly DON'T EVER TOUCH MY DOG AGAIN. I was sorely tempted to whip the leash from around my neck and slapping her with it. One of the other women just said very quietly but very intensely don't touch my dog.
Stupid woman finally gets her dog leashed all the while telling me Colin is aggressive and doesn't belong in a dog park. I counter with everyone was playing fine until she arrived. As she's on her way out I said BITCH. She continued down to the gate then came racing back up the stairs and asked who called me bitch. I said I did. She said apologize, I said no and if you don't want to be called a bitch don't act like one.
She starts back down the stairs screaming I'm going to report you!!!!! Nice try but you have no idea who I am, my dog's information or any other pertinent facts. One of the other owners suggested that she might have taken down our license numbers. Works for them, one was using a rental car the other her father's car. I'm the only one who had their own car there, but how is she going to find me??
We were speculating on her report. "I went to the dog park today and the other dogs were attacking my dog and they were mean to me" No and well if you consider being called a bitch mean then I guess I was.
Both of the other people at the park said Colin wasn't being aggressive and they were just fine with me calling her a bitch. It saved them the trouble. Should anything come of this, which I seriously doubt, they both made sure I had their names and said they would back me up. I was very pleased with they're reactions and offers of support.
I'm not proud of the way I reacted today, Dr. Sanity and I have been working hard to try to tame these flaws, clearly I need to do some more work. I know that to some degree I will always have them, they are such a part of my personality after 56 years. And sometimes a girls got to do what a girls got to do, especially in the face of absolute stupidity.
