RANT UPTDATE*****

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I live in a beautiful home, in a beautiful golf community, surrounded by beautiful people but (that is a different rant).  In the summer 99% of them live up north, Canada or someplace in between but this time of the year they all come back.  Let me begin by saying that I'm a mid-west gal, chubby and of a conservative viewpoint.  So basically I'm saying "that I do not fit in".  But I do my best to be friendly and try.  Last year Rooney and I went to small dog time every day at 3:30 and he got to run and play with all the other small dogs but by the end of summer he was pushing the size limit.  Now with Stuart at 53 lbs we go to big dog time but I am OVER IT.  These men bring their giant Weimaraners, mixed breed dogs (that have that boney head of a pit) and delight when their dogs play very aggressively.  Stuart and Rooney hold their own but neither one has an aggressive bone in their body.   And I can't tell you how proud I am of Stuart who will put himself between another dog and Rooney if he feels that it is getting too rough.  So tonight - as things are going as usual and I'm trying to maintain the peace without drawing notice - one of the men asks me what mix Stuart is and I say " he is a Poodle-Golden-retriever mix and he doesn't have an -------   I WAS going to say an aggressive gene when he jumped into my sentence and said "any brains"!  So basically he said Stuart didn't have any brains being 1/2 poodle/retriever!  I very calmly looked at him and said "poodles and retrievers are some of the smartest breeds".   All of this in front of a group of other men and one woman who looks like a man.   I let the boys play a bit longer and then left.  I hate to punish Rooney & Stuart but I will not take them back.  When dh comes back from China he is either buying me a lot to build on that has room for a fenced dog area or I'm going home to MI and not coming back.  I can't take these smug, skinny, liberal, rude, A$$holes any longer!!!!  Stuart is the sweetest puppy you would ever see and I'm not taking this cr@p any longer.  I would NEVER say anything so rude to another person EVER.  I don't care who you are, think you are or what you have, but I'm not taking it.  I grew up very poor but I was taught kindness, courtesy, and manners.  Dh is gone and I'm crying - why are people so mean?  I just hate these snobs!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Thanks Nicky!!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

 A lot of times we meet some really strange ones at the dog park. Funny how the animals know which ones ( other dogs ) are okay and which ones aren't.

I'm from the north, chubby myself, raised in a poor side of a rather wealthy family often feeling somewhat left out, and I'm rather liberal in my thoughts.  Never would I intentionally allow someone to sit in pee though, or be mean to their dogs, or come right out and try to call someone names.

That said, I'm sorry you did not have a good time. I hope there are much better days ahead--and I have faith there will be. As my mom would say, " Joanne, it is every where you go.  Every job you will have.  Every race, every belief, you will find folks like these.  Try to seek out the good ones.  Some days that may be hard but they are out there.   They may not think the  way you do, or act the way you do.  Just look for kindness"

You may have come across different beliefs and thoughts but there is NO excuse for not having kindness.  Whatever these people were, or where they were from, shame on them.

Peace to you tonight, Jane.   Hang here on DK.  It is a GOOD place.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I love your mom more every time I hear about her. What a wise woman!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I love it. You're mom is awesome.

[Sharon & Monty]

You do/not belong,do they have any idea that you are packing?  LOL  It is tough to live in a hood that most folks dont agree with our basic principals.  I've been around the block myself. I was born in a very rural county, moved away in 3rd grade.  Moved to the city, OH MY GOD!.  those kids called me all kinds of names I never knew. I just thought I liked everyone, they did not like me.  Moved again to another rural area.  Geez, by this time if your egg did not crack there, you would never be one of them.  Shucks, I lived there for over 30 years!  I have since moved back to the backwoods rural area that my parents were born to and me too.  I don't know anyone of course, but I like it this way now.  I dont have a young child and all the stuff that made me intermingle and pretend to be.......I like the woods and the privacy, and most folks here are all about that.  When I was divorced 6 years ago, I had to move to a townhouse in the city. :(  I left my golden with my ex cause he had retained the house in the country. :( :(  I had visitation rights.... yeah, that worked out.....NOT.  I bawled my eyes out every time I seen a dog and a woman on the street.  I duuno, long story short, I feel I am where I have always meant to be.  "You can take a gal out of the country, but you cant take the country out of the gal."   My best wishes to your situation.

[Dori & Rua]

Wish I was there with you right now Jane!  We could have a good cry together and then drink a bottle of wine.  Or, we could drink a bottle of wine and have a good cry.  Or, heck, let's drink wine and cry! 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jane, Laurie, Fudge and Vern are on the way. After the weekend I have had, I am ready to kick some butt. LOL!!! Don't let those rude jerks stop you from doing something you like to do. When we used to go to the dog park, I drove by and then decided if we were going in. If we didn't, we went for a great walk instead. Meanwhile, have a glass of wine and know that everyone on DK loves Stuart and Rooney.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I vote this whole situation aside, if you are going to remain in FL you are going to need a house with a yard and a fence.  Your life is going to be so much better when you don't have to worry about dog parks and alligators and Stuart and Rooney can run and play whenever they like.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Well said!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Exactly.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Jane, quite a few of these snow birds may have the money to winter in Florida but are basically the northern version of an ignorant redneck, hick.  I grew up in Pennsylvania and my dad (also born & raised in PA) calls them Bun-yacks.  I think it was my dad's way of saying these people were so dumb that they could only talk out of there bums. 

My mom on the other hand, was a GRITS (Girl Raised In The South) and she taught my sisters and I 2 phrases... "Bless his/her heart" (his or her is dependent on who the comment is referring) as in "His brain is so small it could roll around on the head of a pin... Bless his heart.  The other phrase was "How nize for you" (BTW, Nize is southern for Nice, but you have to make it 2 syllables like Niiii-ze) which is the Southern Girl's Finishing School term for "F*&K You!"  Just remember these 2 phrase when the old curmudgeons make idiotic comments.

For example, the next time one of these guys says anything negative about your wonderful boys say something like "How niii-ze for you to have taken in that po' lil' flat headed pit-mix...Bless his heart." :)  Oops that was the 3rd term dear mom taught us Po' Lil'... translation Poor Little. :-D

Just remember, we are here for you!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Nina, I like your Southern style and your northern acronyms.