Marissa Lingen (mrissa) wrote,
Marissa Lingen
mrissa

Not For Your Benefit

1. When I take my dog for a walk, it is not to improve the scenery on your drive. I'm glad you feel that I am an asset in this regard, but if you could keep your all extremities inside the car and refrain from shouting or honking, it would improve my walk. Yesterday I was wearing a little bitty cotton dress, so your behavior, while rude, at least parsed for me. Today: mid-thigh jean shorts and a plain-colored T-shirt. Get a life. (Different cars and drivers each day, alas. Or perhaps thankfully, as I would prefer not to have a stalker while walking my ferocious attack poodle.)

2. When I take my dog for a walk, it is not to improve your child's animal socialization skills. If you have a 12-to-15-month-old who has just awakened from a nap and is spooked and crying at the very existence of a tail-wagging puppy, trying to shove the child's hand in front of my dog while the child wails is not a good idea. If the kid panics, he/she may flail and hit my dog, who will then learn that monkey puppies hurt. This is not the lesson we are trying to teach. If your kid doesn't want to touch the dog, do not try to make him/her. Demonstrate the niceness of the puppy, if you must, by asking my permission, then presenting your own hand to be licked and gently petting the pup, talking in a calm voice about her pretty eyes and soft fur. If this does not convince the squallie, shrug and move on. My dog is not an object lesson but a dog.
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