So, the pup and I went for a walk around the lake today at a very popular park. It was kind of almost sunny on a weekend, so it was fairly busy.
I'm walking the pup, minding my own business, when we pass a family that has two toddlers. One of them goes "Doggie! Doggie!" as we walk by. Which is what half the kids we pass do. I smile and keep walking...
...and I hear the pitter-patter of little toddler feet running after me. "Doggie! Hey, doggie! My doggie! Oof!" The kid tripped on the gravel path. But he got up, and kept running.
I could hear his parents half-heartedly telling him to stop and come back, but the kid wasn't having any of it. I kept walking...and the kid kept running behind me trying to catch up, calling "Doggie! Here doggie!" Even when other dog walkers passed by going the other way, the kid insisted on going after my dog. The kid kept tripping and falling, too, because he wasn't old enough to have very good motor control. He was only about three years old, if I had to guess. I kept walking faster, but the kid kept running after us.
Now, Ozzy doesn't like kids. I don't know if he had a bad experience with them before we got him or what. He hasn't bitten any yet, but I haven't really let him get close to any. So when this kid finally caught up (after several minutes), Ozzy turned around and gave a growl and a bark.
"Woah! ..... BLRAGLEBLABBABABBLE!" That's the closest approximation I can give of what the kid shouted back at my dog. He made a few other sounds. I think he was trying to spook my dog into barking again. Ozzy just gave him a strange look and started walking on around the other side of me.
I was just about to turn around and spook the kid off, but his parents called, and for some reason he listened that time. Which was good, because his parents were almost out of shouting distance at this point.
I kept walking. I heard the kid again. Pitter-patter-pitter-patter approaching behind me, as well as the calls of "Doggie! My doggie! Heeere doooogieeeeeee!!!". We were coming up on a nice long, steep hill, so I picked up the pace. The kid got tired about halfway up and gave up the chase.
Note: this kid has been stalking me for a quarter mile at this point! (I just looked up the map and verified my estimate...yep, about a quarter mile!)
I made it up and over the hill into an area where the trail gets a bit windier and away from the lake into the woods, and I looked back and figured I'd finally lost them. There was no sign of the kid or his parents. I noticed my shoelace was untied, so I stopped to tie it...
...and drifting through the forest, I could hear "Doggie? DOOOOOOOGIEEEEEEEE! Doggie, where are you?"
I quickly finished tying my shoe, and hurried away from there, walking as fast as I could. I didn't see them again for the rest of my walk, fortunately.
I don't know what was up with this kid's parents, letting there tiny little kid chase a strange person and a strange dog for just about a quarter mile. All I know is that now I'm going to have nightmares where I'm being stalked by weird little kids screaming "Doggie! My doggie! BLRAGLEBLABBABABBLE!" and trying to steal my dog.
I'm walking the pup, minding my own business, when we pass a family that has two toddlers. One of them goes "Doggie! Doggie!" as we walk by. Which is what half the kids we pass do. I smile and keep walking...
...and I hear the pitter-patter of little toddler feet running after me. "Doggie! Hey, doggie! My doggie! Oof!" The kid tripped on the gravel path. But he got up, and kept running.
I could hear his parents half-heartedly telling him to stop and come back, but the kid wasn't having any of it. I kept walking...and the kid kept running behind me trying to catch up, calling "Doggie! Here doggie!" Even when other dog walkers passed by going the other way, the kid insisted on going after my dog. The kid kept tripping and falling, too, because he wasn't old enough to have very good motor control. He was only about three years old, if I had to guess. I kept walking faster, but the kid kept running after us.
Now, Ozzy doesn't like kids. I don't know if he had a bad experience with them before we got him or what. He hasn't bitten any yet, but I haven't really let him get close to any. So when this kid finally caught up (after several minutes), Ozzy turned around and gave a growl and a bark.
"Woah! ..... BLRAGLEBLABBABABBLE!" That's the closest approximation I can give of what the kid shouted back at my dog. He made a few other sounds. I think he was trying to spook my dog into barking again. Ozzy just gave him a strange look and started walking on around the other side of me.
I was just about to turn around and spook the kid off, but his parents called, and for some reason he listened that time. Which was good, because his parents were almost out of shouting distance at this point.
I kept walking. I heard the kid again. Pitter-patter-pitter-patter approaching behind me, as well as the calls of "Doggie! My doggie! Heeere doooogieeeeeee!!!". We were coming up on a nice long, steep hill, so I picked up the pace. The kid got tired about halfway up and gave up the chase.
Note: this kid has been stalking me for a quarter mile at this point! (I just looked up the map and verified my estimate...yep, about a quarter mile!)
I made it up and over the hill into an area where the trail gets a bit windier and away from the lake into the woods, and I looked back and figured I'd finally lost them. There was no sign of the kid or his parents. I noticed my shoelace was untied, so I stopped to tie it...
...and drifting through the forest, I could hear "Doggie? DOOOOOOOGIEEEEEEEE! Doggie, where are you?"
I quickly finished tying my shoe, and hurried away from there, walking as fast as I could. I didn't see them again for the rest of my walk, fortunately.
I don't know what was up with this kid's parents, letting there tiny little kid chase a strange person and a strange dog for just about a quarter mile. All I know is that now I'm going to have nightmares where I'm being stalked by weird little kids screaming "Doggie! My doggie! BLRAGLEBLABBABABBLE!" and trying to steal my dog.
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