dog-gone people

Besides the ones who don't pick up after their dogs, the second most annoying dog owner is the kind that lets their dog off-leash when they have no control over it.

There is a very miniscule percentage of dogs who are so obedient, they won't step paw outside their property lines. Then there are the owners who THINK they have that kind of dog. They obviously do not know the power of our Norman's je-ne-sais-quoi appeal.

I can't tell you how many times we've been followed across a busy street by an off-leash dog who's looking to get a whiff of Norman's fine behind. Then, it's up to me, to A. Corral the dog to safety (while pushing stroller and holding Norman) B. Direct traffic to prevent the loose dog from getting hit by a car or C. Stand there holding my breath hoping that the oncoming car sees the amorous loose dog and stops. Usually it's an awkward combination of all three.

I know that dogs sometimes get loose accidentally. I mean, Norman's been known to somehow Houdini himself from his leash to chase a squirrel. But then there are people like the done-up attractive elderly lady and her dog Rafe. We see her in the same place every time. I think she drives to this particular spot, parks her car and walks her dog up and down the street -- off leash. And without fail, this happens:

DONE-UP LADY: (Yelling down the street as Rafe charges at us) RAFE! RAFE! RAFE! COME BACK HERE!!!
(Rafe runs across street to meet us. I walk towards made up lady so that Rafe will get out of street.)
DONE-UP LADY: Is your dog friendly???
ME: Yes, usually with smaller dogs. (Rafe is smaller)
MADE UP LADY: He really is lonely and loves to play with other dogs. How old is your dog?
(Meanwhile, Rafe is jumping all over Norman -- Norman is surprsingly putting up with it)
ME: Um, (untangling the leash that has wrapped around Raisin's stroller in the chaos.) He'll be Seven.
MADE UP LADY: Oh, Rafe is six....He usually comes when I call --

Correction. He never comes when she calls. I know because we've had this EXACT SAME ENCOUNTER AND EXACT SAME CONVERSATION NO FEWER THAN FOUR TIMES!! In fact, in one such encounter she told me about the time she lived on a busy street and witnessed her beloved cat get hit by a car. One would think she would've learned a lesson.

Then there are the people who don't even bother supervising their unleashed dogs. Just the other day two cocker spaniels came barreling across the street to meet us. As I tried to steer ourselves out of the situation a crazy loon of a woman still in her pjs came screaming out of her house with a voice resembling Patty and Selma's of the Simpsons -- "SAM!!!!! SAM!!!!! SAM!!!!! SAM!!!!!! SAM!!!!!!! SAM!!!!!!" It's no wonder the dogs didn't go racing back into her arms. As we made our way down the block, her dogs continued to follow us and she continued screaming "SAM!!!!!" as they did.

Ah, people.