Dog fight

If a day is going well, I have noticed, a karmic balance to the contrary is usually achieved by 4:00 pm. This Saturday, my own gentle temperament underwent a raging change due to a certain bovine who buttonholed me in a small park. Allow me to narrate the sequence of events that concluded with ample exercise of vocal chords, liberal finger waggling and general foot stomping.

As it turns out, I was looking after a friend’s son for the day this Saturday. When he and Chip got tired of riding bikes and kicking ball, I decided to walk them to the small park at the end of our little lane. It was a beautiful day. The sun was warm, but not too warm. Gentle breeze and all that. The only regret I had was that I had forgotten my book at home. When we entered the always-empty park, two children came up running to me warning me to beware of a certain dog. I squinted my eyes and through the sun I could see a girl of about 12 sitting on the kid’s play set, a snarly dog beside her.

There was no way to know if the dog was having a bad day or it was generally ill-tempered dog. I certainly wasn’t interested in finding out. The kids ran to the play set and the dog snapped at them. Then growled and snarled and leaped. The boys were scared, obviously. I asked the girl, nicely to take the dog away since it would not let the children play on the play set. She said “No.” I gently pointed her to the fact that play sets were for kids, not dogs. She was as surly as the dog and sullenly told me “No.” I asked her again, she said “I am not.” After 10 minutes of trying to reason with her, asking her to get her mother, I lost my patience and told her if the dog was not off the play set, I was calling the authorities. She climbed down and two minutes later returned with marching bovine of a mother and her surly husband.

“Lady, “the mother barked at me, “Do not judge my daughter.” Huh? I thought and said, “Huh?”. “She came home crying.” “She and the dog were on the play set. The dog was being very aggressive and would not let my kids play. It also frightened a couple of women who were taking a walk because it leaped at them and snapped and your daughter was unable to control it on its leash. I asked her to take the dog elsewhere.” “This is a public park. My dog is allowed everywhere.” Shouted the husband. Obviously, civic responsibility and logic, both, were both lacking in this couple. I repeated my statement. They repeated that their dog was gentle. I saw the woman who had been scared by this dog. I pointed it out to this cow. She shouted to her “Did my dog scare you?” The woman was scared by the dog’s owner now. “No Ingles” she said. “See?” said the dog-owner. “She said no.” At that point I did not know whether to laugh or get really, I mean really angry and settle this mano y mano. I, instead chose to point the very obvious fact that the woman had said “No English.” Which meant she did not understand the question. The dog-owner, was severely lacking in the general common-sense department as well because she said, “Whatever. She said no. OK? She said no.”

At that point, I lost it and said “Madam, all I asked of your daughter was to keep the dog off the play set. Your daughter was as misbehaved as your dog.” At that point, she spluttered. Not knowing if I intended an insult, they walked off shouting “My dog is welcome everywhere. This is a public park” and all the empty rubbish that made no sense at all, given the context.

Of course, in the course of the altercation, I kept repeating my point like the clichéd broken record and the choicest wit came to me 15 minutes too late. Not that it was needed here, given the fact that the combined intelligence of the couple was less than the shredded rubber mulch underfoot, but it would have provided much needed smirk-laden satisfaction to me. Because, sometimes, just making your point is not enough!