zenscription

Last night giving bailey her evening constitutional, i walked down past a house where a young mom and a little girl were doing nothing out in front of their house. When the five year old girl noticed the dog she said something that excitedly translates to "Doggy!" They were both 40 feet off the roadway and i have miss Bailey Grace WaggaTaily on a leash and in no way was threatening to either the girl or the mom. Besides, Bailey isn't much interested in people on our walks; she's busy sniffing out rodent demographics, keeping a tally of rats, mice, groundhogs smells and their intensities.

The mom seemed to scowl at the childs interest and excitement. "Doggy!" she repeated to her mom. Mom replied in a quiet, ominous tone - "He's gonna GIT you!"

The child's eyes widened and she widened her stance and watched a bit more carefully our passing and then trundled closer to mom with just a hint of alarm. She wanted to be picked up which the mom refused to do.

Now, it may be that Mom had been attacked by dogs and wanted to instil caution. But the way the transaction went down it seemed more likely that Mom adored the child's reliance on her, her power over her and a reinforcement of the bond between them, using the largeness and potential scariness of the world to draw her child closer. From my point of view in an unthreatening stance it just seemed mean. Not so much to me and the inattentive dog but mean to the child. Playfully mean.