Walking on Sunshine

Sunday, August 04, 2002

Sim was an absolute hit and we had a great time! The word got out in a positive manner and Sim got a bunch of love and attention from kids and adults, who hoped they might get to adopt him. NOT A CHANCE! lol

Of course, ONE person had to try to cut down the entire breed, but she just made herself look like a moron.

This old witch (she looked like one, honest! About 60 with ratty hair and no kidding, wearing tight, black spandex shorts and NYLONS!) who ran a stand across from our table, right before I left, came up and asked what kind of dog Sim was, so I answered, but she cut me off and NASTILY said LOUDLY, "Oh, THOSE dogs are KILLERS!" And proceeded to rant how 30 years ago, they had one on their farm and it killed over 100 chickens before they caught it, there was no reason, he was well-fed, yada yada.

Yeah, she was QUITE the personable vendor (a few customers LITERALLY walked away because she was rude to them), so I can just imagine her with a dog! Kinda funny, she had to ASK what kind of dog, though...despite our huge sign with our name on the front of the table! DUH!

I flat out told her I'd never heard of such a thing and asked her a bunch of questions, which she didn't like at all. The dog was an outdoor dog, "but...but...but he could come in! He could have been an indoor dog." Yeah, OK. She never said where she got the dog or what exactly happened to it, but I think they killed it because they "got RID of it!"

After she left, I chatted with the gal at the booth next to me and we were both incredulous, but completely disbelieving. The dog ate 100 chickens before they caught him? Not very attentive owners, eh? C'mon, the dog would have had to have gained A LOT of weight (she specifically said, "he was well-fed, there was no reason!") A pure WHITE dog and no blood for them to see on his coat? GIMME A BREAK! Sim got spagetti sauce all over his face and front paws and it was in a DISH! He didn't even have to hold it down! (Side note: that was the FIRST and LAST time for spagetti sauce, lolol!)

Our general consensus was: Bad dog, BAD OWNERS! We both just thought SHE was a BITCH! lolol

I am sure that if her dog had been GREAT, she'd have claimed total credit for him training, but when a pet is bad, OF COURSE, it's NEVER their fault! Gotta accept responsibility either way. Sim is a great dog, but that doesn't mean I don't need to watch him or keep him on a leash in public and an eye on him in our yard. I care about him to make sure he stays out of trouble, just like monitoring my kids.

Another funny was when some old crotchedly woman came up and asked, "Oh, why are THESE so special that they get their own rescue?" I told her that in Michigan, most every breed in the AKC has a specific rescue and I am representing ours. Like with everyone else, I stressed that WE are contacted by the shelters and controls because they don't want to put the dogs down and know we are very credible and will keep them until adopted out. She asked, "Well, why ANIMALS? There are a lot of people out there who need help!" And I said, "There are plenty of organizations to help people and our preference to making a difference is with these abused and often neglected dogs." She just huffed and walked away. **snicker** She sure wasn't getting an apology out of me!

R. said I should have told her, "Some people help people, some people help animals and some people help no one but themselves. Which category are YOU in?"

I am still thrilled at how well the event turned out. Those two situations only made me feel more proud to be INVOLVED.

Sunshine - Walking on Sunshine - 8/04/2002 09:54:00 PM