Grrrrrrrr!

Just when I think that I’ve met every idiot on the planet and, given my “senior years”, I really have met so many… a new one comes along!

Our walk yesterday was not unusual in that we had to incorporate some shopping at a couple of stores.  Either Carol or I will go into the store so that Ray sees that either one of us can leave him and his world does not fall apart. Ray is getting much better in that situation. It was not too long ago that he would become really agitated until all three of us were back together again.

We were also stopped on two occasions by people who had met Ray before and just wanted to say “Hi” to him (forget about us humans)! It really was not an unusual walk, until we said “Mailbox Ray. Let’s go to the mailbox!”

Ray knows exactly what that means (a treat when we get there, and another before we leave), and so he started off clearly focused on the quest at hand. He took us directly down to the road which has our mailbox and made the necessary right turn.

On that right turn is a general store which faces the main street, and has a blank wall and very small parking lot around the corner. As we turned the corner, I noticed a man standing seemingly up against the wall. He was unshaven, dressed rather badly, and his complexion would suggest a life of farming (or drinking!). He was probably a very nice and friendly person but his image suggested caution.

Carol was holding Ray’s leash at the time, and I was in such a position as to put me between Carol and Ray and this man, although we would all be quite close as we made our turn.  We were at our closest point to him when he suddenly bent over from his waist and leaned forward in the direction of Ray and made a quite loud “Grrrrrrrrrr!” Ray seemed too interested in his task at hand to react, but I did! I made the comment “That really is not a good idea.” He did not react at all, and so my alter-ego surfaced and I said “You’re an idiot!” There was still no reaction so perhaps he didn’t hear me?

It was a conversation piece on our way from the mailbox to our home. As Carol correctly pointed out, he could have had a mental issue. Of course he could also be under the influence of something and did not know what he was doing. He could have had a history of playing “silly games” with some large and friendly dogs. He could also have been a complete idiot!

I remember writing a Post recently called “What do you see?”, which basically reinforces the logic that we should not pre-judge/label people because we generally have no knowledge of their earlier years and experiences, and to stereo type them in some way is not only illogical and unfair, but it is also contrary to the concept of compassion and  understanding.

In my working life, I had a small complement of staff, and when mistakes were made and brought to my attention, I would say to them “I will expect perfection from you as soon as I can set the example. You’re quite safe for now however, I do try and learn from my mistakes and I expect you to try and do the same.” 

Clearly I need to read my own Posts more often and learn from them ….. but I am allowed to make mistakes!

24 thoughts on “Grrrrrrrr!”

  4. There are idiots everywhere unfortunately.last weekend we went to a place called Buckland Abbey it was an converted abbey that was owned by Sir Frances Drake,Any way there are estate walks that you can take dogs on but there are signs everywhere about keeping dogs on leads because of livestock we were on another path but here was a family with their dog off leash going through a paddock with sheep in it and the dog was running around all excited.What stupid thing to do when its the middle of lambing season!luckily they were no where near us as we had Speedy our House rabbit there with us for an adventure.xx Rachel and Speedy

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    • Hi Rachel (and Speedy) – Human stupidity, or just plain ignorance, is quite amazing isn’t it. We have trails that are on the edge of very steep and hazardous ravines and, even though dogs must be leashed, many aren’t and it is not unusual to hear about a dog that went over the edge. They do not generally survive the fall. We also have coyotes that hunt in packs. They are more than enough to take down a fair size dog that wanders off checking for squirrels (or rabbits!). Sadly, it is the dog that generally pays the price for its owner not acknowledging our dog-leash by-law.

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  5. It’s hard not to react when someone does something that could create a bad situation. I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself…at least afterwards, you recognized that the man may have had a reason for what he did. But interacting that way with a strange dog is never a good idea.

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  7. So glad that Ray didn’t react badly but remained focused on the treat that was coming at the mailbox 🙂 I understand your reaction and yes often times my words will come back to me to! Have to say your title grabbed my attention! I thought, “OH NO, doesn’t sound like something good happened!” The title was actually my response when the alarm clock went off this morning, once I oriented myself to what was causing that dang noise!

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  9. Some people can be unpredictable in their manner and actions, and if we came across someone like this man, Maggie would have automatically put herself between him and us. If he had growled at her, she would probably have growled right back, if not lunged to protect us, even though she is not aggressive. We never know why people act or react the way they do. I m comfortable approaching practically any dog, but a human? Not so much.

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  11. I learned a long time ago that animals, like people, are all different. I am one of those people who can approach almost any cat even an unfriendly one but it takes time and patience. A co-worker and I cat sat for another co-worker. My pet-sitting co-worker went charging in the house and hollered the cat’s name. Strange loud voice! What do you think a cat would do? Hide of course. I went the next day by myself and she came out. I was able to give her some exercise and attention. People are idiots sometimes.

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