The big fat brown dog doesn't always accompany me on my morning walk. Sometimes she's tired. Sometimes she has better things to do. But when she does come along, she always makes the walk more eventful than usual.
This morning, for instance, she started out by bothering a cow that was in the road. It appeared that the cow was headed toward a more bushy area than remains in her pasture, but the big far brown dog wouldn't get out of her way. The cow would make an attempt to get around her, but the dog continually interdicted the route, such that the cow finally gave up and plodded back to her pasture.
"Big Dog!" I scolded, "why are you bothering that poor cow?"
"Cows are not supposed to be in the road," she answered. "It's as simple as that. The road is for cars, the pasture is for cows."
Okay then.
Later on, we came upon a little black puppy who immediately ran over, jumping and wagging and smiling, to greet the big dog. This exuberant greeting was met with several growls and a snap or two of the teeth. As I caught up, however, and reached down to pet the little guy, the brown dog pitched into the puppy, knocking him off his feet and sending him squealing toward safety.
"Big Dog!" I scolded. "That wasn't very nice. Why did you attack that harmless little puppy?"
"Puppies need to learn," the big dog answered. "Puppies need to grow up. Puppies need to understand that every person and every critter in the world isn't necessarily their friend. They need to exercise reasonable caution. He don't know me from Adam, nor you neither. Who says I'm not gonna bite him in half on the spot? Who says you're not gonna take him home and cook him up for dinner?"
Hmmm.
Well, I suppose that dogs may have their own way of viewing things--that what seems aggressive or unkind in a person's mind may be perfectly justified to a dog's way of thinking. Maybe humans, like cows and puppies, could stand to learn a few basics.
That's how the big fat brown dog sees it, anyway.
This morning, for instance, she started out by bothering a cow that was in the road. It appeared that the cow was headed toward a more bushy area than remains in her pasture, but the big far brown dog wouldn't get out of her way. The cow would make an attempt to get around her, but the dog continually interdicted the route, such that the cow finally gave up and plodded back to her pasture.
"Big Dog!" I scolded, "why are you bothering that poor cow?"
"Cows are not supposed to be in the road," she answered. "It's as simple as that. The road is for cars, the pasture is for cows."
Okay then.
Later on, we came upon a little black puppy who immediately ran over, jumping and wagging and smiling, to greet the big dog. This exuberant greeting was met with several growls and a snap or two of the teeth. As I caught up, however, and reached down to pet the little guy, the brown dog pitched into the puppy, knocking him off his feet and sending him squealing toward safety.
"Big Dog!" I scolded. "That wasn't very nice. Why did you attack that harmless little puppy?"
"Puppies need to learn," the big dog answered. "Puppies need to grow up. Puppies need to understand that every person and every critter in the world isn't necessarily their friend. They need to exercise reasonable caution. He don't know me from Adam, nor you neither. Who says I'm not gonna bite him in half on the spot? Who says you're not gonna take him home and cook him up for dinner?"
Hmmm.
Well, I suppose that dogs may have their own way of viewing things--that what seems aggressive or unkind in a person's mind may be perfectly justified to a dog's way of thinking. Maybe humans, like cows and puppies, could stand to learn a few basics.
That's how the big fat brown dog sees it, anyway.
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