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Ramona's Ramblings

T’ain’t nothin’ like a dog

Ramona Jan
Posted 9/7/21

I shouldn’t have said it, but I did. When this very attractive blue-eyed dog (and his owner) passed me on the road, I blurted, “Oh, it’s that dog!” The dog immediately turned …

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Ramona's Ramblings

T’ain’t nothin’ like a dog

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I shouldn’t have said it, but I did. When this very attractive blue-eyed dog (and his owner) passed me on the road, I blurted, “Oh, it’s that dog!” The dog immediately turned to jump on me. He’s a big, strong guy, possibly a cross between Pit Bull and Boxer. I don’t know his name so I’ll call him, Guy. Guy’s sudden and enthusiastic interest in me completely interrupted the owner’s running form. It was a mash-up that didn’t need to happen.

I’d been watching the training of Guy, mostly from my bicycle. He’s even more interested in greeting cyclists. I call it greeting but it’s really lunging. Guy, tan and white, is a curious mix of happy-go-lucky and mouthy exuberance. The owners are doing an excellent job of training him, but I get the feeling that Guy is the kind of dog that needs to age before he realizes that chasing cars, bikes and people are not really worth it.

There’s another dog, all white with black patches around his eyes, who visits the river daily. This dog has an exotic name that I feel doesn’t fit him. Secretly, I call him Petey after the dog from The Little Rascals. He’s a good size and, I can tell, would love to topple over river-goers like myself. There’s nothing worse than a mighty large dog jumping on a small person.

I’m always grateful that Petey’s owners have him leashed. However, if he pulled, I think he’d be hard to hold back. But he doesn’t because his owners give him lots of love. I make note of that should I ever adopt a dog—NOT!

I’m not going to adopt a dog because I used to own one and it was a disaster. We went to doggy behavior school together where I found out that all dogs want to be good provided the human can be a good student. All I needed was consistency, but the only thing I was consistent in was not at all being consistent. My poor dog ended up busting through a screen door in pursuit of a deer. On that fatal day, he was hit by a car, and a friend wrote a song in tribute, ‘T’ain’t Nothin’ like a Dog”. I cried.

There’s a very well behaved dog with a pronounced under bite that never needs leashing. Must be a bulldog mix though he’s tall and slender. Maybe bulldog and whippet? I’ll call this dog, Devo. Devo listens to his owner’s commands and acts instantly. The owner never has to say anything twice. Leash-less Devo doesn’t even walk up to strangers. I’m too scared to pet him tough. His under bit scares me. I’m very limited around dogs.

Great Danes are another story. Did you know they love to lean against people? It’s their way of cuddling. At least that’s what I’ve been told by the tiny lady who walks two of them along river road. While we talk, one of her Danes keeps pushing against me. Pretty soon I’m on the other side of the road waving goodbye.

I ran into a dachshund/lab mix if you can imagine. Sleek and flaxen-furred with a white spot on her chest. She went berserk when she saw me and, of course, wanted to greet me with her muddy front paws. Since I was wearing a new dress, I kept my distance.

There is one dog I’d consider owning in a heartbeat and that’s Mars (real name). He belongs to a family that lives in Jeffersonville. Mars is the dog I dreamed of as a child. The dog I thought all dogs would be—no leash, obeys commands, calm, no jumping, no nipping or fearful under bite; just one intelligent, good boy. When I hang out with Mars, I secretly pretend he’s my dog. The owners do not know this, but now they do.

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