No matter what the thermometer says, I fear Fall is over. And what a glorious Fall it’s been! I was trying to explain to my nephew how lucky we were to be sitting outside in our sweat jackets playing in the mud on November 13th on a 60 degree plus day. I told him it should be nice and cold by now, like Winter. But, he pointed out, it’s not Winter yet. He’s right. It’s not. But it’s coming. This was definitely the last weekend for the leaves. They’re dry and crackling and the color is gone to a mulchy brown. But we had fun anyway.
Can I vent for a minute? We went to a park near my sister’s – it’s more of an arboretum type place with an open field and a creek and a path – no playground or anything. But there are lots of trees – and therefore leaves – and the kids could run around and throw the frisbee and whatever. People walk around. There are some benches. And of course they bring their dogs.
My niece is afraid of dogs. When she sees one coming she gets that look of abject terror on her face and literally leaps into the arms of the closest adult known to her. Before all you dog owners get all over me about this, we tell her the dog won’t hurt her, that Mommy/Aunt Cara/whatever adult she’s with won’t let anything happen to her. Her grandmother has a dog that she plays with and likes. The neighbors have a big (way bigger than her) dog that she will approach. Sometimes. But generally she’s afraid of dogs.
Well, here we are at this open park. It’s a small area as far as parks go and it’s right on a busy street as well. We’re all getting out of the car going to run in the park and here comes this dog. It look like some kind of retriever mix and it’s coming right at us. OFF ITS LEASH. I have a SERIOUS SERIOUS problem with dog owners who allow their dogs off the leash in places that aren’t specific to that purpose. First of all, from what I know, it’s AGAINST THE LAW. Second of all, I’m sure you love your dog. But guess what? I DON’T. And I don’t want your dog running up to me, or my kids and basically scaring the crap out of them.
I was this close to hitting this woman at the park yesterday. In fact, as I’m writing this I’m getting more and more pissed off. She had absolutely NO CONTROL over her dog. She could not get a handle on him. Every time she went near him he ran off. Right toward the kids. My niece was already back in the van and I’m trying to take care of my nephew who’s now terrified too and the baby’s just sitting in the stroller with the dog sniffing all over him. I told that woman under no uncertain terms that she better get her dog under control – that the dog shouldn’t be off the leash in the first place – and that I was ready and willing to call the police if she didn’t get her dog away from my kids in about five seconds flat. This was after I had already told her “nicely” that she should control her dog. The woman was like don’t you think I’d like to control him. And I said, if you can’t control him, why’d you take him off the leash. I swear to you – no exaggeration – it was a good fifteen minutes that the kids sat in the van while this woman tried to corral her dog. She actually had the nerve to say to me that instead of yelling at her I should HELP her get her dog (which I actually tried to do as I sent my nephew screaming to the car.)
In fact, she never got control of her dog. She just finally realized that she better leave the park. So she did, and I watched her dog run through all of the backyards belonging to the homes adjacent to the park. For the record, every other dog we saw was on a leash.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. I was running once near my house, where I run all the time, and I was bascially attacked by these two small lap dogs. They were nipping at my ankles and I could have seriously tripped and hurt myself. I was yelling at the woman to get her dogs and she was standing about 25 feet away calling to them come, come. Of course the dogs didn’t come. So that woman was slapped with a $200 fine by the association office – it wasn’t the first time she had her dogs off the leash. Next time I saw her, leashed they were.
PLEASE. PET OWNERS. BE RESPONSIBLE WITH YOUR PETS. DON’T MAKE ME DISLIKE PET OWNERS ANY MORE THAN I ALREADY DO. 😉
Okay. Rant over. Thank you for letting me vent. This is an issue that really bothers me.
I did knit this weekend. On the train back and forth. Basically, on the way to Philly, I knit and ripped, knit and ripped, knit and ripped. I don’t know what my major malfunction is with the Prairie Blanket, but I’ve been having a lot of trouble with it. I think I’ve finally got it all figured out though. It really is a wonderful pattern and I hope to be moving along on it. Hopefully before Xavier is a year old!
Nona has the THIRD INSTALLMENT up! Yippee! I’m going to try to get the fingers joined together again tonight. I’m still in work overload, but I’m doing okay and I’m looking forward to a really productive day today (she says optimistically….) Running. Post office. Pictures. Yup! I’m felling bright eyed and brushy tailed.
Norma has brought to our attention a particularly worthy cause – get your charity knitting needles out! This guy needs some purls for his penis. You just know he was DUMPED by a knitter. Help him out!
You’ve got ONE MORE DAY to come up with a name for the new KAL I’m sponsoring. I’ve already got the winner in my mind – so knock my socks off people! C’mon. There’s a prize at stake.
Oh and don’t forget to sign the map. 😉
~note to self – don’t send friends to http://www.januaryone.com to inquire about knitting sweater for little doggies before reading latest post~
hehehehe – yes, I just did that.
I’m sorry the kids had such a bad experience. Miss C still gets a little nervous around my Mom’s dog when she first comes into the house but she eventually warms up to him.
I’m with you 100% on this – unless it’s a dog park, it should be on a leash. You want to take your dog off the leash? Take it to a dog park.
Thank you for your post about dogs. I’m a grown woman afraid of dogs. There are a few I like, but generally – keep them away from me. It makes me insane when dogs are out and not on a leash or even when they are out in a yard where they readily escape! I spent 6 months being afraid to go to my father’s house because of a german shephard that was constantly escaping and attacking. The owner eventually moved.
you are completely right about the dogs. When you come to visit me, we will take my slathering pack on a walk. Not only do we obey the leash laws, we also obey the pooper scooper laws. You can be in charge of that part! ♥
I have a friend who’s e year old granddaughter is afraid of dogs so I can just picture your niece’s reaction. The poor thing. We have a big old yellow lab who is friendly as all get-out but I still wouldn’t take her anywhere off her leash. What a horrible experience for all of you. I would have definitely called the police!
Oh, and I forgot to say, those pictures are AWESOME! Way to go Auntie Cara!
I’m with you on the dogs. My oldest son is terrified of dogs; we go through the same thing here when a dog comes into our yard or when we see one when we are out. It isn’t fun for him or us. No amount of assurance does anything to change how he feels.
Inside cats and rabbits; that’s the way to go for us. 😉
I agree wholeheartedly about the unleased dog problem. I have a dog and she’s always leashed, but I understand that when a dog runs toward you (and you’re not the owner) you have no idea what’s going to happen. That’s why I also don’t like those invisible fences. It may keep the dog from running away from home but how do passersby know that the dog that’s running full speed toward them will be stopped by an invisible fence?
Being an owner of a mildly aggressive dog I agree with you 100%. What drives me nuts is I can’t even take my dog for a walk (on a leash) because people around here never keep their dogs on a leash and they come running out of their yards and approach my dog. My dog (again he was on a leash) bit another dog because it wasn’t on a leash and approached him in an aggressive manner. It sucks to be doing the right thing when everyone else isn’t and having to be the one who looses (can’t walk the dog much).
I so agree. Last night my husband almost hit someone’s dog in the parking lot. It was pitch black and this tiny little greyhound ran out from nowhere. Fortunately I heard the owner screaming and told my husband to stop, but please, why is her dog in the middle of an apartment parking lot at night? I would think that she’d care more about her dog, wouldn’t you? And don’t even get me started on the people who don’t pick up after their dogs. We have precious little natural space in the complex and I’d like to have my kid play there, too. Rant over!
The kids are adorable and are keeping me from going and yelling at dog owners this morning.
Yet another dog person who agrees with you, C. As you know, Oscar was attacked while on-leash by an off-leash dog and had bite puncture wounds to his abdomen. It’s a law for a *reason*. Hopefully the kids forget the incident soon.
As always, great photos!
Aw, gorgeous pic of the kiddos, as usual.
I just have to say that I found it hilarious that there were knitting-related google ads at the bottom of Steven Wells’ post — I don’t think he should get any google dollars off of those hits, do you? It’s just not right to lambast knitting while making a buck off said-same. ; )
I have a dog and have been around dogs for much of my life — and I’m very afraid of dogs. I’ve kicked those ankle-biters in the teeth while shaking in my boots (mean, little, bug-eyed, crazed creatures!), and I’ve turned right around and went home with my own dog after encountering other strange, large, unleashed dogs right on my block (more than once). I feel as if they can sense my terror and then I start to panic. Best to just go home…
You are so right about unleashed dogs. We live in the country and have a large fenced in yard for our 3 dogs. They NEVER leave the yard without leashes. In fact, they seldom leave the yard at all. But the number of dogs running loose out here is ridiculous. I’m tired of slamming on my brakes as a dog sprints toward me as I drive by. And I would feel absolutely terrible if I ever hit one. There’s no excuse for it out here in the hinterlands, and there’s really no excuse in an urban or residential area. What’s wrong with people?
Long time lurker here… 🙂
After being attacked by my aunt’s Siberian Husky at age 7, I spent my entire life TERRIFIED of dogs. About a year ago, I had a roommate who had two dogs, and it was something I just couldn’t get away from. So I learned to deal with my fear, and ended up liking dogs so much I now have two that are ridiculously spoiled. My dogs wouldn’t hurt a fly…really…they wouldn’t….however, I will never forget what it is like to be so afraid of dogs that I would do anything to avoid coming into contact with one, and I always keep that in mind while taking my dogs out in public. That woman had NO BUSINESS WHATSOEVER letting her dog off leash. That shows disrespect for others and a lack of responsibility as a pet owner on her part. On behalf of all pet owners, I sincerely apologize for the sheer jackass-ery of that woman. I hope the kids aren’t too traumatized.
I have two dogs and they are never off the leash. We have to walk them as we live in a conda. We talk to them so they don’t bark and keep them in check so others aren’t bothered. That woman was an idiot! She can certainly get training which is more for the human than the dog.
The pictures are so cute! I’m excited, too that the 3rd instalment for I-cord gloves is up. I’m going to knit a pair for charity this week.
The only times I’ve ever been delighted to see dogs off their leash (full disclosure: I’m delighted to see all dogs, all the time) have been in the woods on hiking trips. In my experience only sensible people with extremely well-behaved dogs will do such thing and if you can’t let them run amuck there, where can you? My opinion for all other cases (except fenced yards) is that streets are too dangerous for animals to be allowed unleashed anywhere in the city. People who truly care for their animals don’t let these sorts of things happen.
I totally agree with you. California has a leash law, as does my condo community, and I still see people with their dogs unleashed. I’m the kind of person that likes to remind them, and it always pisses me off when they say “I know.” Well, if you KNOW, why is your dog not leashed? Luckily, my dog is tiny, so when unleashed dogs come near us, I can just scoop her up. A leashed dog in the presence of an unleashed dog knows that the flight option of “fight or flight” is not available, and a fight is way more likely. There are dogs parks for a reason, and there’s one not two miles from our community!
Wow, I don’t know if anyone could knit a willy-warmer that small. Maybe in I-cord?
People like that ruin it for those of us who do take care of their dogs. It’s because of them that dogs are banned from so many parks and playgrounds, and as a loving (you might even say doting) dog-mom, that kind of behavior makes me almost as angry as you are. Dogs, like kids, do sometimes take it into their heads to “not hear” you calling them, but you can usually tell the difference between a well-trained dog who’s playing and pretending not to hear and the ones who have absolutely no training whatsoever. I can’t stand when people let either their dogs or their kids run amok like that–it’s rude, selfish, inconsiderate, and just extending your own bad manners into the next generation (whether it be humans or dogs). That woman letting her dog terrify your niece and nephew like that (inadvertently, I’m sure, since it doesn’t sound like the dog was mean at all, just terrifying by BEING a dog–but that doesn’t matter). By letting her dog scare “your” kids, it just reinforces the fear that they already had of dogs, and perpetuates an endless cycle. My sister’s been afraid of dogs since my aunt and uncle’s dog scared her as a toddler; my mother’s afraid of dogs, too, and freezes everytime another dog–leashed or not–approaches Chappy. And my 16-year old niece, having been raised by my sister, is also afraid of dogs . . . It’s such a sad, never-ending cycle. Remember the old days when people actually made efforts to follow rules and have decent manners?? Sigh. I don’t think I’m looking forward to seeing what the world is going to be like a few decades from now . . .
Ditto – to what Deb said – There’s always an idiot to ruin things for everyone else. And unfortunately, dog parks aren’t really much of an option for people who really care about and train their dogs. They’re overrun by idiots too.
I’m a crazy pet lover and I spend a lot time watching other people’s dogs. Let me tell you, it pisses me off to no end when people let their pets roam leash-free. I tend to watch the more “special” dogs, the ones that launch themselves at unknown dogs in order to maim them. I don’t want to deal with that kind of stuff. I keep the dogs on leash. I do not approach unknown dogs or children. If a parent wants their child to touch the dog without asking me, I yank the dog away and say they aren’t especially good with unknown people. Some of the dogs are great with other dogs and children but one should never assume that all dogs are great with others. Like people, some of them don’t play well with others. So you know I do tell people to leash their pets and I do warn parents who let their children come running up to the dogs but for all the great pet owners and parents, there is that one bad seed which is unfortunate!
I hope I’m not over the limit because I finally thought of a GREAT title for your KAL.
Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Knit. (If you’ve ever watched this on Cartoon Network, and I don’t recommend it, it has an absolutely catchy theme song that would do this knitalong proud.)
Hi Hi
Puffy Ami Yumi SHOW! over and over.
It’s awesome. And the stars are Japanese, and they’re super cute and trendy, like your KAL. xoxo Kay
But perhaps we should recognize that the reverse is true too? I can’t tell you how many children charge right up to my dog (who is well-trained, and always leashed when not in a specifically off-leash area) and stick their faces in hers, poke her, pull her tail, etc, while I am desperately trying to pull her away and explain to their parents that children should under no circumstances be allowed to approach an unfamiliar dog. Bailey’s response when faced with children behaving in this manner, luckily, is to anxiety-pee, but many dogs will growl and snap–which is what inculcates fear in children. It’s not the dog’s fault, or the owner’s: it’s a natural response to an unknown.
I’m not saying that your niece and nephew provoked this particular dog, and the woman was absolutely wrong to have it off leash if she couldn’t control it, but I say to the parents, aunts, uncles, etc. of the world: child-havers, don’t make me dislike _you_ more than I already do.
I’m with you on dogs and leases.. i wouldn’t let my cat roam loose.. so i don’t think dogs should be either.. granted i was never bitten but.. that doesn’t make me “gun” shy.. also very funny connection to the anti knit guy.. poor thing he must have been dumped by a knitter or had haunting memories of his mother dressing him in only knitted stuff.. haha 🙂 Karola
In total agreement about the dogs. My pet peeve is dog dirt. No fun pushing a wheel chair in some places. Yuk ! All dog owners should be responsible,and respect people’s right to not have their beloved pooch slaver all over them.
Me too.
So sorry about the dog incident! Your photos are just beautiful, as always ; )
Man. Unleashed Dogs. I used to not have too much of a problem with them. Then, something happened to my friend that HORRIFIED me.
One day, my friend took her little yorkshire terrier Brownie for a walk in her neighborhood (on the street/sidewalk). Out of NOWHERE, this medium sized dog ran out, grabbed Brownie by the head, SHOOK HIM like a ragged chew toy, and dropped him onto the concrete. There poor little Brownie laid, DEAD, pool of blood oozing out behind his tiny head.
I’m tearing up just THINKING about it. To add to it, that dog was some breed of dog known to kill small animals. It’s in their nature. Some sort of hunting dog, I think. I can only imagine how hard it was for my then-pregnant friend to watch her dog murdered before her eyes. It’s nearing a year later, and they still don’t like to talk about it.
Awwww, those cute kids!!
I’m completely with you on the dog issues. The last time our little rat terrier escaped out the front door, I apologized to everyone in the neighborhood for his irritating escapades, even though he’s harmless. People don’t know that, and they shouldn’t be frightened by someone else’s dog, ever. Dogs are only as good as the people they’re attached to, sadly.
Man, I echo the sentiment that people like that ruin it for everyone.
No exaggeration, my dog: At the command “stop” will stop and sit wherever she is and wait for another command, will discern whether her frisbee has gone too close to the road and choose not to catch it if it has, can select the named toy out of several, brings her collar to one of us if she wants a walk, heals (that one’s harder, she needs reminders of foot shuffling to stay close), can jump into and out of a tree on command, gets the paper in the morning and brings it to Martin, etc.
Not just to brag, I have a point 🙂 My point is, there is a way to train your dog to listen to you *absolutely* and to be charming and a joy to be with. It takes a lot of patience, effort, and time. And it is so worth it. I hate it when people who’ve taken absolutely NO TIME make it so that I have to read posts like this on the internet and hear stories like this from friends and have to feel defensive about dogs, when mine is trained. I’m sorry you had such a bad experience.
Also, this reminds me that I need to take more time to keep Ellie trained and attentive because with the baby around she keeps getting pushed to the back burner, and dogs forget and feel neglected and don’t behave. It is a real effort, which it seems like people don’t commit to, they just get a dog because it’s cute.
So, there’s a rant to go with yours! I’m sorry you’re having a bad day, BTW. I had a day from hell yesterday, with every minute filled with work from 6 am to 8 pm…. You’re not alone.
Sweetie, the dog rant? Could have been written by me.
What’s up with fall? I went away for the weekend, and return to Boston and suddenly it went from fall-type foliage to late-fall, almost gone dried brown leaves.
People. The ones who walk their dogs on the leash? They still let the dog s**t all over my lawn. Hellllooooooo? Makes me want to live in a forest down a half mile long driveway like a knitting/spinning witch.