There is probably no such thing.
Or is there?
There are of course people who don't like dogs.
Just as there are dog lovers who don't realize the world is about other creatures too. Humans among them. I might just squeeze into that cathegory according to some...
But I'm digressing.
There are people who claim not to like dogs, and here I am not talking about pets in general. More importantly though, there are people who are afraid of dogs.
Terribly, mortally afraid.
There are people who walk on dog walkers beach and when my black dog gets within 20yards of their wellies, they are quite capable of going into what can only be called a pathetic mode:
"Lady! Hey lady!" shouts a man in a really high pitched voice, his arms waving madly all by themselves in the air above his head. I know he has no idea what his arms are doing, because his eyes are intently guarding his Wellingtons.
I do feel for the man though.
It will not matter if I say "They won't touch you!"
Well I couldn't do anything else, I had to shout at the top of my voice, being 200 yards away. The dogs are a bit faster then my long legs. Oops!
"They all say that!" says the man, and he is probably right. And majority of dogs probably don't touch strangers unless invited. But perhaps this man, as do many others, has had a different experience. Perhaps he's been barked at , perhaps he's been bitten, perhaps a huge dog put its front paws on his shoulders one's, and licked him silly. Maybe he didn't know what to do about it.
I must give him credit though, because my black dog, even though not remotely interested in people unless they have food, has a special approach tactic. He would purposefully choose a long stretch where he can gather considerable speed, and charge in a straight line at a chosen person. At the right moment, which is when the victim is convinced this sizeable dog is about to plough into him at full speed, the dog changes direction just enough to run past the person. Just out of reach. Amusing? Yeah...
As I said, I feel for the man, and the dog whisperer is scheduled to make a stop in our house tomorrow. Not kidding.
Well, she may not be The Dog Whisperer with an emperor's name, but she certainly speaks dog a little.
I have seen her express her dissapointment with my chocolate puppy before. She growled. Suddenly all dogs stop sniffing each other's butts and paid attention.
In my experience there are also people who are totally afraid. Afraid of fear itself when it comes to dogs in particular.
The other day there was a woman on the beach crouching down and minding her own business. My chocolate puppy decided to approach her from the back, and overexcited bitch as she is, she stuck her snout in this unsuspecting lady's lap. Squeal, jump, and terrified shaking. Not the dog, she is fearless and a nuissance with that curious sandy wet nose of hers.
The woman had to be comforted big time. She stood quite frozen, shoulders shaking.
She managed to say she likes dogs, or rather, she would like to be able to like dogs, but she can't.
Then there are those who totally invite the dog to play with them just so they can give the owner a hard time. No, it is not about me at all, this one is about another lady, who did not make it home with clean, well pressed trousers.
This woman watched the puppy play nearby for 20 minutes. She sat down on a rock, her handbag sunning on the rock next to her. Beautiful autumn morning. This lady gave the silly pup so much eye contact, that the pup couldn't resist it, and gave her a kiss.
Kiss equals full frontal lick with paws in her lap.
I am obviously NOT a perfect dog owner. I have a lot to learn. And just because I love dogs, and believe that nature's creatures should live as close to nature as possible, despite central heating and padded pet beds; the truth is that dogs need to be controlled.
We humans breed them to be companions, and of course we require they work. After all we have to. Pets like us need to have a responsibility. They need to feel needed to remain balanced.
The funny thing is we (humans) use pets to bring balance to our lives.
Numerous rehabilitation centres keep horses as a part of the rehab plan. And as well as cats have special licence on how to enrich life of their chosen humans, dogs add ......... to ones life.
Molting fur for example.
