11-15-14

The boys are on a camping trip in the Shenandoah, so Leo and I are hanging out on our own. This afternoon I took him to the local dog park so he could wear himself out. 

When we first arrive at the dog park, he's always a little timid because there are always big, fast, seemingly aggressive dogs who immediately swarm him. We sit in the same place every time - a bench in the sun that he can hide under as his safe spot because the big dogs can't get under it like he can. 

Today I was sitting on the bench and he was wandering around in the general vicinity. A lady sat down on the bench next to mine, and Leo went over to her. He jumped up and put one paw, which is the size of a quarter, on her knee. (This area of the park is cement so he wasn't traipsing through the sandy part.)

I reflexively apologized to her and told him to get down (which he did). The lady made a dramatic show of pulling out a pack of wet wipes from her handbag so she could blot her knee off. 

1.  Who brings a full-size handbag to the dog park?

And 

2.  Don't come to the dog park (which is packed on a Saturday afternoon) if you don't want any dogs around you. 

I was feeling awful, like I had the worst-behaved dog on the planet. 

But the universe is often kind. 

Before she could throw her wet wipe in the trashcan, her large dog came over and slobbered wet drool all over my thigh. 

My only regret was that I hadn't hauled my handbag to the dog park and couldn't whip out my wet wipes (imaginary, of course, since I only carry wet wipes in my handbag if I'm traveling by plane) to make a dramatic show of cleaning my pants of her dog's slobber. 

She didn't even apologize. 

Arlingtonians sometimes drive me a little crazy.