dog people

i spent a portion of yesterday at the beach enjoying the sun and hanging out at the los angeles bbq fest.

good times, by the way. it was the second year, hopefully they begin to invest in some advertising. sounds like most people either heard about it through word of mouth or just by seeing the tents set up near the beach.

but during Marcas' Day Out, i was reminded of how much people love their dogs. and how much that annoys me. it's become commonplace for people to take their dogs everywhere. shopping malls, restaurants, grocery stores. sanitation be damned.

what was once a fad for overindulged, eccentric socialites with little to no understanding of life for us non one-percenters has become a social epidemic.

perhaps that last sentence says it all, but in case you were unclear, i'm not Dog People. 

to begin with, i find it strange that Dog People love dogs more than they love people. i can only imagine how horrible their interactions with people have been to drive them into the furry paws of a noisy, sloppy animal that not only is riled up by most any sound it hears, but will continually holler at the same sound. even if it happens every day at the same time. sure you can say that of some people - then they stop being infants and realize the mailman is nothing to freak out over. your value as a warning signal is lessened when you bark at everything.

lest you think i'm speaking through prejudice and not knowledge, i've lived with Dog People. and even with the most responsible dog owners, you (as a non-dog owner) still end up bearing some responsibility for the dog. making sure it doesn't accidentally run through the slightest open door, stopping it from eating anything and everything it finds on the floor. not to mention the inevitable chewing of some item you absent-mindedly left sitting on a table.

and there's history here as well. too many times as a kid, i was chased by barking dogs while riding my bike or walking to the bus stop. understandable if i had irritated the creature in some way. but aside from your average North American Drama Queen, i don't know any animal that gets upset over a lack of eye contact.

dogs are like children. no one loves yours as much as you do. most of us don't want to see or hear about it all the time. but unlike children, they don't have to go everywhere with you. your dog has no idea what an airplane flying an advertising banner is all about. and something tells me that even if he did, like the rest of us, he wouldn't much care.

walking your dog if fine. even taking your dog to the park is a good idea. but unless you're blind or disabled in some way, i don't want it hanging around while i'm eating or wandering underfoot while i'm walking in a crowded public area. it doesn't need to be in the office and you're crazy if you think it's a good idea to take doggie to market.

hopefully this is a phase, but something tells me this isn't going away anytime soon. Sounds like a case for Wade Blasingame.