Crazy people, everywhere

So this morning I go with little Kona (aka Killer Doberman Pup) for our morning run. He’s a quiet little guy, shy at first but likes snuffing at people as we go by, snuffing at dogs, but he’s calm and doesn’t pull even when he sees the ever-popular squirrels or bunnies. In other words, he’s perfect.

So we’re running along, and up ahead I see what I now realize is not that uncommon: a woman with a stroller and not one but TWO dogs on leashes. And even though we’re behind them, the dogs sense that someone is coming, and they’re already getting excited. One of them (who for some reason has a small cast on one leg) is looking back and stumbling over his own feet. Paws. And we’re more than half a block away. As we get closer, the dogs, in a word, go nuts. They’re only medium-sized dogs, but they’re barking, growling, pulling, just going crazy. We haven’t even had a chance to try to go around them yet.

And, it’s a good thing, because this woman lets go of her stroller to pull the dogs a few feet away to try to calm them down (unsuccessfully). And said stroller starts rolling towards the curb and street. Now, it’s not a busy street, but given the trajectory, there’s a good chance the stroller could have tipped over entirely - and it was headed that way before I ran to it and stopped it.

Now, this whole time Kona is being perfectly calm. Not a peep out of him, he’s pretty much ignoring the other dogs. There’s a little girl in the stroller who wants to pet him, and she does.....and then I see that not only is this small child in the stroller, but there’s a BABY behind her. I don’t even know if this is actually a double-child stroller, or if they’ve just rigged it that way. Then the woman is telling me to put the brake on the stroller – as if I know where the hell that is – and in the end I just wheel the stroller back up to the sidewalk and leave it positioned such that it’s not going anywhere. And we move on, Kona and I, pondering how stupid a person has to be to put themselves in that kind of situation. Well, I was pondering that – I think Kona was thinking “biscuits? I wonder if I get biscuits after our walk?”

It’s a good thing that tomorrow some of the girls and I are going up to Delavan to do some riding and to check out the 4th of July parade. There’s nothing like a bunch of Shriners in their fezes riding around on tiny cars to restore one’s faith in humanity. I need that. Truly.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend, everyone!