Know Your Limitations!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

My daughter’s car broke down this week and because it could not get into the shop until Friday, she has had to enjoy some special mother/daughter time with me driving (a few days) her to and from work.  She works a long way from home and she would probably tell you it was hell.  Eventually, she found a co-worker a little closer to home and it shortened our drive, but not by much.  I have found when I have a member of my family in an enclosed space, with no way to escape, is when I can give some of my best advice.  Sure, I have had to get used to the shrill cries of, “I swear I am going to jump from this car,” but they never do, so in my mind, they really do want to hear what I have to say.  Like I do many nights, I used a story I heard on DK to make my point, ignored all the “who cares?” and hoped some of what I said got through to my daughter.  I could tell I made a small impact by the way she leaped from the car when we got home and said, “I am taking my dinner down to my room and I won’t be back up.”

 

The point of the story I told to her was to find what you are good at and work to get better at it every way you can.  Everyone has something they excel at and knowing what that is about yourself can help you both professionally and personally.  I told her in great length how I never wanted to be a boss to anyone when I worked, because A) people get on my nerves and B) I was never a good delegator and always thought I could do it better.  She didn’t seem surprised to learn any of this about her mother and in fact said, “in other words, you are impatient and think you are always right.  Tell me something I don’t know.”  I forged ahead without saying what I was thinking, “You are really bugging me and you need to listen to me because I always know best, “ and instead said,  “You are missing the point.  The point is I know what I am good at and my limitations.”  She followed up with, “did my car get fixed today, so I can drive myself next week?” Every parent knows you try and plant the seed and hope it grows, so hopefully, I can fertilize it a little next time we are alone and continue helping the little seed’s growth.

 

By now, you might be wondering where is this story going and in a roundabout way I am getting to my point.  Every day I take my dogs for a walk at a beautiful park near our home.  The campground is closed for the winter so we have the place mostly to ourselves, although we do see other people out walking their dogs.  I really do think every time I am at that park how lucky I am to have such a great place to take my dogs.  Beauty is everywhere and from time to time, we see a deer, an owl, a woodpecker, and too many of those darn squirrels.  This week, however, I noticed something not so pretty, dog poop that lazy owners did not pick up.  I noticed it everywhere once I started looking.  There can really be no other excuse except lazy dog owners for this because our park has poop stations all along the paths complete with bags and trashcans. 

For some reason, I am sure it is the same dog owners that allow their dogs off leash despite signs everywhere that say all dogs must be leashed.  We encounter these idiots all the time who always like to yell out, “Don’t worry.  My dog is friendly.”  One day I was walking Fudge and Vern and out of nowhere appeared a dog walking toward us with no owner in sight.  All coherent thought left me and I weighed several options as the dog approached, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hoist Vern into the nearest tree.  Luckily, the owner finally appeared apologizing profusely and called the dog to her, but the dog continued to approach us.  He had no intention of listening to his owner and she had no more control over that unleashed dog than I did and finally as she closed in on him, I said, “you had better get him, because my dogs are not friendly.” Whether or not that is true does not matter and all this could have been avoided if she had followed the rules and kept her dog on a leash.  She did get her dog before anything bad happened and Fudge and Vern behaved far better than I anticipated as I stood there shaking in my boots and trying to decide if I had enough momentum in me to make a mad burst to the car or if it would be faster to just drop to the ground and have the dogs pull me.  A lot of “what ifs” crossed through my mind that day.

 

I think knowing your limitations applies to dog ownership, too.  If you have no intention of picking up after your dog, then don’t get one.  If you think all the dog rules posted throughout parks and public places don’t apply to you, then don’t get a dog.  Picking up dog poop is not my favorite thing either and I have one dog who waits to poop until we are way past the poop stations every single day, because I swear she likes to see me carry her poop around and juggle a filled bag and two dog leashes.  Don’t try to tell me that make no sense, because you won’t change my mind. I  know I am right and you will just bug me if you try :)  I never thought in a million years I would be walking behind my dogs with a plastic bag and encouraging them to do the one thing that was going to require me to pick up something gross. 

Ask my family, I don’t even like to know people go to the bathroom.  The next time I see anyone talking or writing about whether or not they should get a dog, my first question is going to be, “how do you feel about sticking your hand in a plastic bag, gathering up the goods, and turning the bag inside out and carrying it around like an unattractive purse until you can locate a trash can?”  Oh, and unlike kids, they don’t ever learn to go on a toilet and eventually cut you out of the equation. 

Oh, how I wish Fudge and Vern did this every day!

Nothing would give me greater pleasure then to walk up to those people who do not pick up their dog’s potty (I am getting grossed out from writing poop so much) and hand them a very expensive ticket and a poop bag.  Unfortunately, Pennsylvania does not have Poop Police, so I am SOL and pardon my French. The rules apply to all of us.  I worry that someday I will drive up to my favorite park and see another sign that reads, “No dogs allowed!”  It could happen, because it seems that the few who don’t follow the rules always ruin it for those of us who do.

[Sheila & Finnley]

Well Laurie I hear you ! There was a guy that walked by my house everyday with #1, an unleashed Golden, and #2, he NEVER picked up what the dog left anywhere along the way. One day the dog left a little "gift"  on my neighbor's front yard. What this guy didn't know was that I had figured out where he lived the week before. By the time he got back to his house, he found the "gift" his dog had left, on his front steps (in a, open bag) and gee, I'm not sure why, but he never walked down my street anymore after that !! Bahahahah 

Also I don't mind walking with the full bag in hand. That way if I come across an a$$#ole inconsiderate human, who isn't picking his poop up, I get all brave and say something ! If someone has a stupid comeback like "it's none of my business", then I show them it is when I have followed the law and picked mine up..... see !

As the quote goes: "I speak my mind, because it hurts to much to bit my tongue !"

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I once stepped in the dog poop that some a$$hole inconsiderate dog owner did not pick up while I was picking up Jack's, and a better example of irony you will not come across any time soon.

And yes, these clueless, selfish people do ruin it for all of us. This is what makes non-dog owners hate the people who walk their dogs near their properties, and this is why many people vote against off-leash dog areas and parks in their neighborhoods.

I have to admit that I do not care to look at poop in a bag, Or anywhere else), which is why I buy opaque black poop bags. I just ordered 400 of them on-line. They go with everything. My little black dress has been replaced by my little black bag, lol.

 

[cheryl & oliver]

Laurie, that is why I don't take Oliver to the closet dog park near me.  Everytime I go, there are piles of poop all around.  Not only is it disgusting, but since we don't know the other dogs, I don't want my dog, who I take care of very well, to go and start smelling poop that may be contaminated with who knows what.  I know I am a nut case with this, and others will either call me nuts, or think it, but I don't care.  Oliver is walked on my property to do his business, and I do clean it up immediately, or as has been the case since he has had some loose stool problems, I make sure that I use a gallon of hot water on the spot after I clean it up.  We went to the dog park one day, and a lady and a little girl were bringing a young pup under the age of 4 mos to the park.  I spoke with the woman and told her that unless her pup had all his shots, which I knew he didn't at that age, please turn around and don't take him/her into such a place.  She thanked me, and I felt good for talking up.  People where we live have dogs, there are many on my sttreet, and for the most part they clean up after them...I did notice that when it is holiday time, Christmas, New Years, etc. they tend to have families visit with their pets, and I have seen poop left around.  Our board here sends out reminders to please clean up after your dog to all to remind them that they need to tell their company to stoop and scoop....People like that ruin it for all of us that care and do the right thing with our pets....Ugh, there I go rambling, sry about that....

[DJ & Chance]

Laurie, I love this.  I am constructing a "free poop bag" sign and poop bag dispenser in my front yard.  Perhaps it will at lease shame some neighborhood dog owners.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I could not agree more.  I have been tempted to place a sign in my front yard that says "I have enough Dog Poop, I don't need yours"!  I get so tired of people letting their dogs poop in my front yard.  My dogs don't even Poop in my front yard!  And while I'm on my soap box, here is another thing that happened to me today that irritates the crap out of me.  If you have your dog on a flexi leash, pay attention to where your dog is and what it is doing.  At the Vets today this older lady is just letting her cocker walk all over the place on his 15' leash while she is paying.  Sophie is there because she is not feeling well and she doesn't want this dog sniffing her butt, so she growled at him ... the lady didn't have a clue.  She just thought he was cute!  He also pooped while she wasn't watching so someone else did point that out to her.  I just wanted to scream "shorten up that leash and park that dog beside you".  I had to actually put myself between Sophie and the dog so it would leave her alone!

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Laurie, that is one of my pet peeves and in this case it is a "pet" peeve.  We walk Libby every morning and we do not have a park close by us, so we go for three miles in our neighborhood.  Walking for the most on the street and it amazes me and makes me so mad to watch an owner let his/her dog stop and do their business either on the street or sidewalk and then walk away without cleaning it up.  Once I was about three front the whole thing happening and I was in shock.  The owner did not even give a damn and walked on.  I was so angry, but did I say anything, NO, I am not confrontational and I wish I could be. I got out my bag and picked it up.  My husband on the other hand, would have "gone off" on the owner. At that point I probably would have started to run out of embarrassment!  I just don"t get it!!!  If someone came in their home and did the same thing would they be ok with it.  Think not!  We carry bags always when we walk with Libby and only once have we used it because she prefers her own yard.  Oh and by the way, my kids feel the same about me and my "advice".  Your blog is fantastic, as always!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Have dog, have poop

Better learn to stoop

Pick it up tie it tight

Deposit it , that's right

If not Ms. Laurie will whoop