Sunday, June 07, 2015

Welcome to the Grand Opening of the Dog Park Everyone!

Yesterday, the White Rock Dog Park reopened after some months.  We'd gone up there last week when it was supposed to open initially, but after all the rain we've had lately, it was probably good to let it dry out a week.

We started off at the small dog side. Mike was funny, he didn't want to go run as much as he wanted Mark to walk around the place with him.  I had my iPad and was content to try to catch up a few pages on our book club book.  Mike got bored, so Mark took him over to the dog launch and I just sat on the bench in the shade and read and pet occasional dogs that go by. They usually pet me first.

While I was reading I felt a nudge and there was a very wet fox terrier with a show dog cut that asked very politely if I would scratch an itch for him.  I did and he went his way.  There were other people there.  There was a guy with a real book and if I'm not mistaken a Bill Nye the Science Guy bookmark.  He also was wearing a boot on his ankle so I had instant sympathy since I've recently gotten out of one.

There were a couple of girls with a dog named Sadie that ran all over the place and was really not a menace. There were folks with itty bitty dogs. There were a group of ladies standing in the shade behind the bench where I was and random folks would come by and try to engage their dog with the newfangled water fountain but not many of the canines were buying that noisy contraption.

My attention was then drawn by a histrionic queen just going off on the group of ladies behind me.  "Don't you touch my dog (the same fox terrier I had obligingly scratched) and they said they'd leave his dog alone.  He started disparaging them about his supposition of their lack of education (I believe he said sixth grade).  One of the ladies said "God Bless you, sir." and he was walking off and turned around said "NO, God Bless  YOU, have you got your food-stamps yet this month?"

I'm thinking in my own head that I could sure use that BFA in metalsmithing to demonstrate what an education with hammers can do for an individual, but the guy and his fancy dog were leaving the small dog area.  The guy with a book says, "What an asshole, this is a public park, people are going to touch your dog if the dog approaches them."  One of the ladies came to refill a water dish and I told her my favorite new quote about unpleasant people.  "You can't stick a flower in an asshole and call it a vase."  They laughed and one said "That man is strange."  I eavesdropped on them for a bit and I think one of them was a teacher and they were asking about another's daughter that had just graduated from college.

I was proud that these ladies just considered the source and went on.  I was horrified.

And then he came BACK.  He walked right up to these ladies and shot their picture and said "I hope you like Instagram." and then left again.   That left all of us there shaking our heads and thinking "Bless HIS heart."

Meanwhile,  Mark and Mike holler through the fence that they are going to the big dog park.  I'm settled back down and I'm reading again when the same jerk (I'm feeling sorry for the dog at this point) comes back in and sits about 20 feet from this group of ladies and stares at them.  I see Mark coming back so I get up to head out.

He can tell I'm rattled and I tell him the strange and surreal time we spent apart at the dog park.  I guess I can have adventures anywhere I go.