Snickers Is Not A Dog of War
Posted Monday, March 6th, 2006 by nycgadgetgirlI don’t normally like to walk Snickers around Times Square, but he tries to take me that way 2 or 3 times a week for some reason. If he pulls that way on a Sunday night, I will relent. It’s really quite empty and quiet late Sunday night. So, yes, Snick and I walked through Times Square tonight. As we’re walking along, someone standing by a pay phone mutters about a dog as we go by. About 6 feet later, Snicks stops to mark a lamp post or something and this guy comes up to me, circles around in front of me and goes “We have guys DYING in the war on terror over in Iraq and you’re worried about your DOG?” I’m looking at this guy I’m thinking
- “So, I shouldn’t walk my dog and let him pee, because he’s not a war veteran?” or
- “Should I send him to Iraq right away to do his part?” or
- maybe I should simply ask the nut in front of me (who is dressed like a wanna be soldier and probably tried to enlist but they wouldn’t take him) "What would you suggest?"
Anyone who knows me in person will be amazed to learn that I asked him none of these things, because I have learned (really) not to encourage confrontations with the crazies. Instead, I simply looked him in the eyes and, with my most disdainful tone of voice, asked him “Exactly WHY are you talking to me?”
He looked befuddled and wandered away. I was pleased that Snickers doesn’t have to enlist.
March 6th, 2006 at 4:09 am
OK, so you seem to have handled it quite nicely… but the outcome was ’satisfactory’ mostly because the crazy guy lost interest in confronting you. I hope you had some pepper spray as ‘additional persuasion’ should it have become necessary.
March 6th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Oh, and I can hear *exactly* the tone of voice that you used for this… and, as a result, almost snorted blackberry sage tea onto my laptop when I read it.
And Snick can’t enlist anyway… he’s not 18 yet.
March 6th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Trep - I have pepper spray at home, but I’ve never felt comfortable carrying it. I think if someone was going to actually try to do me harm, getting peppered would probably just piss them off.
Debbie - I read somewhere that dog years should probably be calculated something like 14 for the first calendar year, 10 for the second, 7 per year for several and then descreasing afterwards. In that case, Snick would be in his mid- to late-twenties, although I find that hard to believe. I definitely would have enjoyed the the guy’s confusion if I’d told him Snick wasn’t old enough to enlist though! (PS Did you name that dragon YET?)
March 7th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
Apparently you have trained Snickers well as he doesn’t talk to strangers.
Good response to the guy. Probably get to be a pro in the big cities.
March 26th, 2006 at 2:32 am
I’m so unequipped to deal with big city life, even though I spent most of my childhood in Toronto. On one of my first trips to San Francisco a guy stepped out of the shadows near my hotel, stood about three inches away from me, and yelled, “Give me a dollar!” I’ve never recovered…
March 26th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Leigh-Ann, you just made me laugh out loud. You have no idea. I almost choked.
Every now and then there is a bum in Times Square with a sign that says “tell me off for $2.” If you are ever here we’ll find him and you can yell at him. That will put everything right.