That's What She Said

One of my big pet peeves, now that I don't have a yard, but a park out my front door, is when I have my dog outside, we are minding our own business (well, I am; Arlo is running frantic circles around me because there's another dog sharing his patch of grass) and some lady in designer pajamas brings her little shit dog over to say hello.

My dog will eat your dog, lady, I think.

But I say something along the lines of "My dog isn't always friendly with other dogs."

Now, we are all about the dog park and doggy socialization, but our dog isn't always on board. One of the deciding factors of living where we do was that there is a dog park just outside our building; Arlo can run around and we don't actually have to walk him around the city, which triggers some anxiety for him and almost-pulled-out-of-their-socket arms for Zack and I. But sometimes, and we haven't figured out what triggers it, he's mean to other dogs. He'll just snap, and not in a warning kind of way. He means it. Then we scoop him up and flee the dog park in shame.

So when Designer Pajamas looks at me with a sort of half-smile and bobs her head a little so I know she's heard me, then continues straight on toward us and lets her dog get all up in my dog's business, I get pretty irritated. I mean, does she think I'm kidding? I know it seems like Arlo is a big wriggling mass of friendly slobber, but he can bust out the nasty pretty quick.

While she allows her dog to jump all over mine, their leashes becoming a gnarled mess, I am glaring and muttering and trying to pull my always enthusiastic, sometimes snarling, 40-lb-beast off her little nitwit dog. Arlo doesn't do things halfway, so the leashes are good and tangled, and only as I finish pulling them apart and grab my handle do I realize that Designer Pajamas' dog has piddled all over it in fear. Nice.

Then, of course, Designer Pajamas yanks her dog and heads off in the opposite direction, glaring and muttering about how I shouldn't have let my dog get near her dog if he's not friendly. Or she slinks away and casts furtive glances over her shoulder as if we are wanted criminals and she's sneaking off to call the cops.

Dog owners, beware. And keep your dog off my dog.

**EDIT** I realized after posting this that I never clarified that Arlo is never mean or aggressive toward humans or even cats. Just the occasional dog whose ass smells bad or whatever. Didn't want to give the poor guy a bad rep!