Over the years since we adopted her, I’ve walked Peppa hundreds of times. In all that time, I’ve rarely had any issues. Sure, occasionally you’ll encounter a difficult dog or person, but generally there are no problems walking her around here.
So imagine my surprise when the one time I walk Peppa in the Bronx, I have to switch into a protective mode to keep her safe. The one day I walk her there and there’s a problem.
We brought her downstairs because she was fidgeting a bit on the sofa, which usually means she needs to pee or poop. We were in the middle of helping a disoriented man find directions to the 4 train when a woman came toward us pushing a shopping cart. She said “excuse me” with a sharp tone but didn’t give us a moment to move. She just kept pushing her cart toward us and Peppa.
Given her direction, she was going to collide with my dog. Before that happened, I stepped in, put my foot down, and gently grabbed her shopping cart to stop its forward motion. She stared at me and said, “I said excuse me.” I replied, “Yes, but was I supposed to let you hit my dog with your cart? Please give us a moment to move.” She responded, “I wasn’t going to hit her, I said excuse me.” Well, it didn’t look that way, and I wasn’t going to take that chance.
My wife picked up Peppa, and I released the shopping cart. The woman started walking away but kept looking back at me with an unfriendly glare. Then, to complicate things, the man nearby started shouting at her. I asked him to stop because I didn’t want things to escalate further.
After Peppa was done, I told my wife we should head back upstairs because the situation had the potential to escalate. She did keep looking back as she walked away, so better safe than sorry.
Look, I’m usually an easygoing guy, but one thing I won’t tolerate is anyone putting my dog in harm’s way. You could be upset with me, and I’ll try to reason with you. But if there’s a threat to my dog, I act first to protect her. Once that’s handled, we can talk.
Honestly, I’ve even stepped in when other dog owners weren’t controlling their dogs and were putting Peppa at risk. They didn’t always appreciate it, but I’m not going to stand by and let another dog hurt mine because their owner won’t intervene. You control your dog or someone else will have to.
My dog weighs about 5 pounds. She’s tiny and vulnerable in a world of giants. It’s my responsibility to protect her, and I always will.
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