You know that feeling when you're completely in the ethical and legal 'right' but someone else was put out and...
You know that feeling when you're completely in the ethical and legal 'right' but someone else was put out and suddenly you're the bad guy?
Story of my life.
I was out walking Dumb and Dumber when a couple came down the sidewalk on their bicycles. The couple have two dogs, both large like small mastiffs or giant boxers, the man in the lead holding onto both leashes and his bicycle.
I've seen them before and generally move off the sidewalk when I see them coming, just to be polite. However, today I was sandwiched in by a couple of bushes and a sign post and had nowhere to go easily, especially when toting two leashes.
As the couple rode closer Charlie (Dumber, in this scenario) started barking because he always barks at things with wheels (bicycles, strollers, rollerblades and skateboards). Then their smaller dog (easily near 100 lbs) started barking and as I pulled Charlie back while telling him, "Be quite! Stop barking," the other dog lunged, pulling the man off his bicycle.
He then started screaming at me that Dumber's leash was too long and I needed shorter leashes like his. I told him, calmly but with authority, that there was no law that said I couldn't have the leashes I held. His girlfriend then pipes in and starts telling me Charlie crossed the imaginary dividing line on the sidewalk that created imaginary lanes like a road or highway.
When did sidewalks get lanes?
Even on his feet the guy had a hard time stopping his dog from charging us, on a bicycle he's much less stable, and I tried explaining that but he just said, dismissively I might add, "Whatever, dude."
They rode off but I watched as they turned around a handful of times to watch my progress.
The thing is, I actually spoke to the girlfriend the other day who was out walking the dogs. Her dog barked at Charlie, Charlie barked back, and I asked if her dog was friendly. Charlie barks but he's only barking because he wants to say hi and the leash won't let him get close enough, he's actually quite harmless and generally once face to face he's pretty docile. I wondered if her dog was the same. She told me her dog can be aggressive, but wasn't usually and since they can never be sure they never let it meet other dogs.
A few minutes later I ran across an acquaintance from the neighborhood who said he had a similar experience this afternoon in downtown Denver. He was walking along and a woman with a stroller cut him off and then yelled at him for being in her way.
What's wrong with common courtesy in America anymore?
Story of my life.
I was out walking Dumb and Dumber when a couple came down the sidewalk on their bicycles. The couple have two dogs, both large like small mastiffs or giant boxers, the man in the lead holding onto both leashes and his bicycle.
I've seen them before and generally move off the sidewalk when I see them coming, just to be polite. However, today I was sandwiched in by a couple of bushes and a sign post and had nowhere to go easily, especially when toting two leashes.
As the couple rode closer Charlie (Dumber, in this scenario) started barking because he always barks at things with wheels (bicycles, strollers, rollerblades and skateboards). Then their smaller dog (easily near 100 lbs) started barking and as I pulled Charlie back while telling him, "Be quite! Stop barking," the other dog lunged, pulling the man off his bicycle.
He then started screaming at me that Dumber's leash was too long and I needed shorter leashes like his. I told him, calmly but with authority, that there was no law that said I couldn't have the leashes I held. His girlfriend then pipes in and starts telling me Charlie crossed the imaginary dividing line on the sidewalk that created imaginary lanes like a road or highway.
When did sidewalks get lanes?
Even on his feet the guy had a hard time stopping his dog from charging us, on a bicycle he's much less stable, and I tried explaining that but he just said, dismissively I might add, "Whatever, dude."
They rode off but I watched as they turned around a handful of times to watch my progress.
The thing is, I actually spoke to the girlfriend the other day who was out walking the dogs. Her dog barked at Charlie, Charlie barked back, and I asked if her dog was friendly. Charlie barks but he's only barking because he wants to say hi and the leash won't let him get close enough, he's actually quite harmless and generally once face to face he's pretty docile. I wondered if her dog was the same. She told me her dog can be aggressive, but wasn't usually and since they can never be sure they never let it meet other dogs.
A few minutes later I ran across an acquaintance from the neighborhood who said he had a similar experience this afternoon in downtown Denver. He was walking along and a woman with a stroller cut him off and then yelled at him for being in her way.
What's wrong with common courtesy in America anymore?
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