I think it's time to talk about the dog days of August. Not in the ordinary sense, after all, it is a little hard to complain about the heat when it's been overwhelmingly absent all summer. No, this is where I want to literally talk about dogs; the only problem is - where to start.
We have an abundance of dog lovers on the Coast. Some folks treat their four-legged babies like the children they've never had. Those critters seldom concern me. Their companions (the politically correct no longer use the term owners) for the most part take good care of their animals. The creatures are well fed and well watered and my only concern is when these well meaning people insist on taking their dogs everywhere.
My problems with encountering dogs everywhere are two-fold.
First of all, I truly think anyone who would leave an animal in a blistering-hot car while the two-legged animal runs an errand should have his or her head examined. Next, every time I see a dog chained in the back of a pickup with or without sides, it makes me cringe. It's all too easy to imagine the poor creature hanging over the side choking as the nonchalant driver motors on. Those vehicle infractions truly concern me.
Now once the pet is out of the auto, another set of problems present themselves for many people. The top of the list has to be the "little" presents those hapless critters can leave behind. There's nothing like stepping in a manure-sized pile of dog crap to make your day. And what neighbour loves your dog enough to have to clean up after it because you were thoughtless enough to leave home without the all-important plastic bag?
On the Sunshine Coast it's considered accepted form to bring your dog to any and all venues. Now that's lovely if you're a responsible person and consider having Fido on an appropriately long leash, by that I mean your pit bull isn't going to come around the corner five minutes before you do. However, for those who haven't passed Leashing 101, I have to tell you how disconcerting it is to have your dog's nose in my grandchild's face because the level of the stroller just happens to exactly correspond to the critter's height. And bad as that is, even worse are the careless or clueless people who think using a leash is beneath them.
You can post as many signs as you want, but I guarantee you that there will always be a dog and usually it's one the size of a Toyota truck cavorting leash-less on the beach just where you'd like to swim. It's hard to tell which is stronger: the ick factor or the fear factor.
Lest you think I'm a dog hater allow me to dissuade you of that notion. I am a dog fearer. For those of you who don't know me I will explain how that came about. I am now a fully-grown five feet tall, which means that when I was a little girl I was very little. Unfortunately more than one irresponsible person thought it cute to have their dog that was considerably taller and heavier than I wash my face with their disgusting tongue. That was bad enough, but what sealed my fate was the day my friend got her features changed forever when her supposedly friendly family dog used her for a chew toy.
To all the dog lovers on the Coast who take such amazingly good care of their animals I say thank you. And to the rest of you, although I'm probably barking up the wrong tree, I say, it's time to clean up your act.
