After a week of rain that made everything ridiculously muddy, Barley and I finally visited our local dog park again yesterday. As we were approaching, I saw one of our least-favorite neighbors: a woman who can only be described as a mean and nasty version of Manjula. She saw Barley and me approaching and yelled, "Don't come in! We're leaving!" Her very sweet, yet completely unsocialized, white labradoodle, Elliot, ran toward us. We waited outside the gate while poor Elliot strained to sniff at Barley.
Mean Manjula said in her heavy Indian accent, "I'm very sorry, but we don't play with other dogs anymore. He was bitten the last time we were here.
"Oh, Barley doesn't bite." He and Elliot had met before when we were out on a walk, so I was sure she'd be fine with the two of them playing.
"That is what the last woman said," Mean Manjula said. "And she lied."
And with that, the two of them darted for the door at the other end of the dog park (in case Barley lunged at Elliot on the way out, I suppose), but then she refused to leave. Mean Manjula stood on the other side of the fence going on and on about this other dog and how nasty and out of control it was. "He was literally running circles around his owner." At a dog park? Imagine! The whole time, I was trying desperately not to snap at her.
I wonder after run-ins like this if I'm too protective and naive about Barley. He does play rough sometimes, and he may have gotten Elliot dirty or even a little bloody. Was I wrong to get so defensive and angry at Mean Manjula? Is it wrong that I'm plotting and preparing for our eventual next run-in?
3 comments:
Sounds like she's a bit paranoid, although once you mentioned the "bloody" I started to feel for her. I don't have a dog - but if someone's kid played too rough with my kid (and blood was shed) I might head the other direction, too.
Knowing how this woman tends to overdramatize, I think it was more rough-and-tumble play than a huge laceration. Otherwise, I could possibly see her concern. Imagine if someone saw your kid coming to the playground and ran away because another kid played too roughly a few weeks before. That's how it felt.
You know, how she handled her dog is her business. You went to a public park, and if she feels the need to leave, so be it.
I HOPE Barley runs circles around you in the park!
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