Thursday, February 11, 2010

A bunch of crap, literally


Many times while out training through various trails, I come across many dogs and their owners. Some are off leash, some are kept on leash, some are small, some are large. Some are well behaved and some are not so well behaved. I know and understand that when an off leash dog sees someone running towards them, they tend to think that person wants to play. When I am in the middle of a workout, that is not the case. Occasionally I find myself having to stop completely and try and keep a dog from jumping on me. This is okay when it is a little dog, not so much fun with a big dog, especially when they are muddy.

Occasionally dogs growl. I have met some who growl if I get too close to their owner. In a way that is cute as they are being protective. Of course it is always the little dogs that tend to be the ankle biters. I love animals, don't get me wrong, but if a dog comes at me and tries to bite me, chances are I will kick the dog. I haven't had to do that yet, but I came seriously close after one dog nipped the back of my knee and left a nice purple pinch mark. And of course after calling their owners (I reversed searched their address), they first denied having the dog and then after I said it nipped at me but didn't break the skin, they said "oh I will have to go find him" and then proceeded to hang up. Excuse me bitch? Where is the "I am sorry, are you okay?"

While dogs can be annoying, I must say that sometimes it comes down to their owners and how they raise them. Owners are funny too. Many times over the past few months I have been out for runs in the trails and come up to a dog taking a crap on the side of the path or simply in the middle. What makes me laugh is that I catch the owner look around first. Then when they see me, they begin to pull out a bag to pick it up. I always wonder "Would they have picked that up if I wasn't here?" I highly doubt it. You can almost see it in their eyes when they see me "oh shit, I have to pick it up now." Basically, if you own a dog and take it for a walk, pick up after it. I, along with every other person in the trails don't want to step in it.

Unfortunately on some trails, especially in Hemer, it is not just dog crap I have to deal with, it is also horse crap. Generally they do theirs right in the middle of the trail, which is also gross and annoying; however, at least horse crap is big enough to see and avoid. Dog crap you generally don't notice until you can smell it! Rant complete! =)

2 comments:

D said...

Lucky for me, my dogs all jump into the forest way off the trails to poop.

Or just do it in my car.

Molly said...

My biggest pet peeve when we go to Arizona is that no one picks up after their dogs. NO ONE! The parks are just grass patches filled with poop, it's disgusting. People look at us funny because we DO pick up. *sigh*