Downtime and Dogs

My other half has gone out camping - just overnight.  This is the first time we've been separated for the night in quite a few months.  But, in preparation of his upcoming yearly hunting week, he's out testing the new tent, guns and other fun man/boy toys.  So, it's just me and the boys tonight.

As you may know, I've started this 30 for 30 challenge (exercise 30 minutes every day for 30 days) and today marked the beginning of this new venture.  To kick my part off, I decided I would take my boys for a stroll through the neighborhood.  We were enjoying a wonderful walk when of a sudden, the largest blue pit bitch I have ever seen, ripped her anchor out of the wall on the porch to our left and came across the lawn at the boys.  The man reclining came out of his chair so quickly that he tipped it over, stumbled and dropped his drink.  She was coming at us so fast and was so formiddable that I froze.  Then he barked out a command and just like that the dog dropped to the ground, spinning around to face her master.

The not-so-frightening bulldog he also had kept coming amidst shouts from the man dragging the other dog into that house that he was friendly.  The dog ran up to us, but a car was also gaining ground and concern that the little fellow might become asphalt had me grab on to his collar to keep him safe.

That's when I noticed my guys.  Sam, the pit boxer, had moved in so close to my right leg that he was leaning on me, his hackles up along his entire spine, his stance bearing for a fight.  Mac, our black laborador whom we refer to fondly as our "Meth Lab", had lost all signs of goofiness.  He had placed himself directly in front of me, the ridge of his spine also standing on end and he bared his teeth and hunched down as though he were going to launch himself in the direction of the beast that had come at us.  I have never in my life seen a black lab look fearsome.  I was impressed.  Then the little dog made the mistake of stepping a tad too close to Mama.  Sam lit in to him, Mac backing up so close to me that he crushed my toes.  It took me a minute to get Sam calmed down, much to the relief of the bulldog, I'm sure.

I patted them both profusely and nonchalantly mentioned to the neighbor that he might want to take some time to assess just what takes to control a large, dangerous dog before attempting to look as though he knew how.  If that thing would have hurt me or the boys, I would have sued him out of the neighborhood.

Of course true to form, just a mere 5 minutes farther and Mac returned to his usual self - not wanting to stop to pee, he began to pee as he walked, flooding the sidewalk and getting so shook up when I called him on it that in his haste to make it right, that he pissed right across the top of my foot.  I was in flip-flops.  Lovely.  My hero.