According to the birth date on her shelter record, my dog has just turned twelve.
According to web sites about dogs, her life expectancy is twelve.
I love her so much.
She still walks with me rather than my talking her for walks. She used to pull me down the street but now she lags behind at times. I've gotten a wheeled carrier and sometimes take it with me not only because I think a mile is enough walking for her every day but because of the heat. She actually likes to ride in it standing on her hind legs, the wind in her hair as I pull it. I call it her "car."
Or I carry her so she won't have to walk on hot cement sidewalks. When I get to a destination I tie her up outside in a shady spot if I can't take her in and put down a bowl of water. I did that the other day to run into a store.
Then I heard the chopper. A massive, expensive, roaring motorcycle with a male senior citizen in a leather jacket and raggedly blue jeans and longish gray hair riding on the sidewalk and the wrong side of the street as well. Clearly he saw a little dog tied up in the shade with a bowl of water near her but did he give a rat's ass? Hell no.
I figured him as more of a Hippie than Hell's Angel.
I walked out and said, "My dog can't be near your hot engine and tail pipe!"
"Well, this is where I park."
"There's a parking lot across the street." I pointed.
"I've been parking here for over a year. This is where I park."
"Well, this is the only shady spot I can tie her up at."
The man ignored me and walked into the store.
I untied my dog and held her in my arms away from the hot chopper.
Another man had overheard.
"It's illegal to drive on a sidewalk or park on one. I'm calling the police," this man said. "The ticket won't be cheap."
"Good idea. But not while I'm here. Another time! That man's a Rebel Without a Cause!"
"I see what you mean."
I sought out the security guard. He said, "My job is inside here, not out there."
I decided to leave with my dog, to keep her out of harm's way. It inconvenienced me to have to find somewhere else to shop.
But the Rebel came out of the store and began to rant before I had dumped the water bowl.
"My daughter has five big dogs in her house. They're all "companion animals," he said, sarcastically. "She has PTSD. You're like her. You're letting your dog rule your life!"
How convoluted, I thought. "Your daughter with five dogs living in a house with PTSD is nothing like me and my one little dog out here just trying to stop in to shop."
I'm not happy that so many stores, especially grocery stores, seem to have these large warning signs that only SERVICE ANIMALS are allowed in. Meanwhile it's not legal or intelligent to leave a dog in a car. So I'm not the only one who seeks a good place to tie up my dog so I can run in and out quickly. People like me are starting to frequent dog friendly restaurants, usually with outdoor dining options. We seek out stores that put out water bowls and treats on the sidewalk and have some place to tie up. (If you're a business reading this, consider screwing some handles to the exterior that provide good tie up in view of but not blocking the pathway to the door. I've had to tie her up to exterior pipes, railings, and door knobs.)
I forgot about the incident with the malcontent man until I went by that same store again last week. I had left my dog at home. He was sitting outside but his chopper was nowhere in sight.
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