Work Adventures: The Loose Dog
So, there's this dog, that looks like a cross between a husky and a chow. It always barks like an idiot as I walk two loops off a court. It barks at everyone, actually. I'm surprised no one has called Animal Control on it. Anyway, whenever the boy who lives there comes home from school, he lets the dog out. I knew it was only a matter of time before the kid let the dog out and it tried to chase me instead of playing with him, or it would be loose when I got to the neighborhood.
Today, it was loose, but this wasn't a problem. Why? Well, when a predator outlines a territory, it typically sets up a routine patrol that acts as a warning to competitors (and smarter pray who notice the pattern). I walk two loops, the same way, every day, and from that dog's perspective, my territory maddeningly overlaps with his. Why, the nerve!
So first I got out of the truck and lunged at him, as he harried my vehicle. He ran back to his property. I ignored him so long as he stayed on his property. This was especially entertaining as I walked past his house, and he paralleled me on the sidewalk. Whenever he tried to lunge me, I would hold out my arm and warn him. He would wheel away, squealing like a furry pig. I had to turn on him several times as I crossed into the neighbor's yard, but he got the message.
I was bigger, badder and meaner than him and his territory ended at his lawn and no further. Harrying my vehicle would result in a counter-attack by me. That dog might be annoying, but his owners are the real dumb ones. Someone really should call Animal Control on them....
Today, it was loose, but this wasn't a problem. Why? Well, when a predator outlines a territory, it typically sets up a routine patrol that acts as a warning to competitors (and smarter pray who notice the pattern). I walk two loops, the same way, every day, and from that dog's perspective, my territory maddeningly overlaps with his. Why, the nerve!
So first I got out of the truck and lunged at him, as he harried my vehicle. He ran back to his property. I ignored him so long as he stayed on his property. This was especially entertaining as I walked past his house, and he paralleled me on the sidewalk. Whenever he tried to lunge me, I would hold out my arm and warn him. He would wheel away, squealing like a furry pig. I had to turn on him several times as I crossed into the neighbor's yard, but he got the message.
I was bigger, badder and meaner than him and his territory ended at his lawn and no further. Harrying my vehicle would result in a counter-attack by me. That dog might be annoying, but his owners are the real dumb ones. Someone really should call Animal Control on them....