Summer's Last Hurrah

An exchange today in the park..

The setting: a wooded park, next to a stream where Marge is dipping her feet and sniffing for stinky things.

The characters: myself, my sister and Marge, and a man and woman with a large Yellow Lab.

*woman begins to approach with her dog, who is pulling on the leash to come over to Marge* Woman: "Is your dog friendly?"
*with her approach, I begin to gather up Marge's 20' leash and move farther down*
Me (not wanting to go into the whole fearful dog spiel, nor thinking that I need to): "No, I'm sorry, she's not friendly."
*Marge, at this point, looks up at the Lab*
Woman (obviously mistaking Marge's apparent curiosity for wanting to come over): "Are you sure?"
*I now begin moving away more quickly as she is obviously not getting the hint*
Me: No. She is not friendly.
Woman: Well.. you could at least say it nicely!!!
Me (puzzled): Well.. you could ask before you start approaching!
Woman: I DID ask!
Me (not wanting to argue with this horrible example of dog ownership): Okay then. You have a nice day. *walks away*

I was appalled at this woman's pushiness.. yet, I was wrong for not allowing her dog to approach mine. People are so quick to question what a dog's owner says about it's behavior, yet if anything were to happen, who would be blamed? There are plenty of times where I do let Marge approach other dogs, but I know her triggers (large bumbly Labs are one of them) and I do not need a total stranger commenting to me in this manner. I was not rude, either.. I was moving away because she was moving towards my dog.

This was not our only problem today at the park.. before arriving, Marge had the displeasure of seeing our dreaded, scary neighbor from inside my car, and that set the mood for the subsequent trip to be tension-filled. She actually full-out reacted towards a man she saw in the park.. he wasn't paying her any mind at all, either. I believe this is a trickle-down effect, so to speak.. because any time she sees (and reacts toward) this particular neighbor, she is usually edgy for some time afterward.

Hopefully, with the colder weather coming, we can regroup, avoid these unwanted encounters and start off on the right foot into next year's Spring.

Now, I'd like to acknowledge a couple of my blog friends.

First, a very overdue thank-you to Rufus and Indie, who sent us a gift when we placed in their Summer Photo Contest. Marge finally got to try the biscuits they sent over to us for the first time the other day, and she certainly enjoyed them. Thanks again, guys! (And we're glad to see you blogging again after a long hiatus!)



We've also been tagged by Bijou to play in this game.


I don't do these all the time, but this one is just irresistible. We have to blog about a time where Marge stole human food that she wasn't supposed to get.

It's probably happened a couple of times.. reaching up to lick something on the table, pre-washing the dishes before they go into the dishwasher. But the most memorable time was when she stole my mom's bagel. My mom left her bagel on the counter and went to use the bathroom. I was going out the door for college, and didn't think anything of it. Well.. as soon as I left, Marge reached up and took a piece of the bagel. My mom came out of the bathroom to find her chowing down. So, yes.. Marge is a convicted countersurfer, and probably knows she shouldn't be doing it based on the fact that she always waits until everyone's gone to do it.

Fotunately, she pays no mind to the vegetables or bread (wrapped up, of course) that are often left on the counter.. it is only prepared foods, left completely out in the open, that catch her interest.


And so our summer ends. It was a roller coaster ride for Marge, thanks largely in part to the incessant fireworks and construction that continued all througout July and August and spoiled our walks. With the cooler mornings and nights setting in, I'm starting to see glimpses of my beloved "Winter Marge," who is much more carefree and happy than the summer version, who is bogged down by heat, humidity, and the constant threat of a loud noise or scary person to come our way. So, even though I hate watching the sun go down those few dreaded minutes earlier every single day, and I'm not thrilled with the prospect of returning to another 16 credits of college work tomorrow, I know I'll have my girl back soon, away from the demons that seem to haunt her the most when the sun is shining the brightest.