You can tell a lot about a guy by the way he treats his dog.
There’s a running path by the river in the city where I live the natives call, “The Loop.” There are parks, boat launches, and swimming holes along that path. That means there are, you guessed it, guys with dogs.
I have two dogs: a German Shepherd named Jack-Jack (she’s named after the baby on The Incredibles), and a Labrador Retriever named Belle. Last week I was running on the loop with Belle and, as we ran around the light pole and trashcans that mark our half-way point, I saw a Boxer charging at us – his owner was sitting on the grass calling him and scrambling to get up. Now I’m tall and can see the dog coming at us over the trashcans, but Belle’s view was blocked. By the time we made our way around, the Boxer was virtually nose-to-nose with her.
Two thoughts instantly crossed my mind:
1. “This dog is going to hurt my dog.” I pulled back on Belle’s running harness and stepped in front of her. Maybe not a good choice in hindsight, but that was my instinct.
2. “You’re lucky I’m not running with the German Shepherd.” Belle is good natured and sweet and instantly assumes that all dogs want to play with her. Jack-Jack is good natured and sweet and instantly assumes I need protecting from all dogs that charge us.
The Boxer’s owner did come and grab his dog and apologized, but that got me thinking. I bet you could tell what kind of a person a guy is by the way he treats his dog. I don’t mean a one-time thing like the dog escaping an otherwise attentive owner – dogs do that. I’m talking about the way a guy routinely treats his dog.
Think of these all-too-familiar scenarios:
1. A guy with a little dog who lets it run crazy, and carries a leash only for looks. Might as well be saying, “My dog is small so I just let him run wherever and don’t feel like I need to control him. Your dog is bigger so it’s your job to be responsible.”
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I mean, I know size is important and all, but this is like saying it’s ok to have a little bit of unprotected sex because you’ll only get a little bit of a sexually transmitted disease, or a little bit pregnant, and the woman gets pregnant so it’s her responsibility. Not that the woman shouldn’t be responsible (she absolutely should), but shouldn’t both parties be responsible? Same with dogs: I am responsible for my dog, you be responsible for your dog.
2. The guy who stands slightly away from his dog while the dog poops and pretends not to notice. This says to me, “I’m acting like I don’t see it so I don’t have to deal with this uncomfortable issue.” Dogs don’t have opposable thumbs and can’t pick up their own mess (or vacuum their hair up for that matter). This leaves – their owner.
I bet this guy is someone who really doesn’t like to deal with things he perceives as “icky.” How many times in his (probably many) failed relationships has he just pretended an issue didn’t exist solely because it was uncomfortable for him? Rather than addressing the matter he just stood with his back to it and looked the other way. My guess would be that’s probably the rule with him rather than the exception.
On the flipside, I’ve seen guys with extra poop bags tied to their dog’s leash. I see them and smile. I bet they’re the type of guys who take care of their dog and would even offer a bag to a stranger if they came upon someone who forgot to bring one along. Nice. I like caring and generous.
3. The guy who is playing with his dog off-leash, sees a runner with a dog, and leashes his dog. When I see this I think to myself, “I bet this guy loves his dog. Here he is playing with him, trying to let him run and get the exercise he needs but he’s still attentive and thoughtful enough to protect his dog from another, potentially dangerous, dog.” I mean really, he doesn’t know if my dog is aggressive – just like I don’t know if his dog is aggressive.
Thank you, and by the way – attentive and thoughtful are very attractive traits in a guy.
Think about this the next time you’re out and see someone with their dog. How does their interaction with their dog influence your thoughts about them? Are they attentive, responsible, and kind? Or are they just there out of obligation?
I’m a carry-extra-poop-bags kind of girl myself. What kind of person are you?