Spring Brings Out the Compliments

Yesterday was 72 F, t-shirt weather. It was also dog-walking weather.

The ladies and I discovered spring-like weather in February brings out the compliments from random strangers. It only lasts one day, so you have to time it perfectly.


The first person we walked past smiled, said hi and then said "pretty dogs". Yeah. We cool.

Next came the leather-wearing motorcyclist who mauled Mina with attention.

You know, I've learned people feel bad for Celeste. Mina is pretty. She is petite. People who hate Pit Bulls like Mina. She's just that kind of dog. Celeste is sort of, you know, blah. Her one saving grace are here blue eyes (one and a half, to be exact). So when the next man saw Mina, he started to say, "You have a pretty dog...s there" adding the "s", so as not to insult me or Celeste. Then he specified Mina's prettiness.

Walk, I said to myself, walk. I mean, I don't take the dogs for a walk just to chit-chat with strangers. It's serious business. The dogs feel it too, Mina especially. She strains to the end of her leash and stares intently, ignoring any and all attention. Walk!

Mid-walk, we got the "The larger one is older, right?" Everyone does this. They assume Mina is a puppy and Celeste is an old lady. No, I tell him, Mina's eleven. No! For real? It's like I told them their mother had an affair with the mail-man. Or woman, whomever. I mean, they get shocked and nearly offended about Mina's age. I don't blame them. Mina really needs to regress in age so as to live a lot longer.

Two hundred feet later, we encounter a woman who tells me, without explanation, "I bet you call her 50:50." I nod and smile, because hey! keep the natives happy, right? It's about a 1/4 mile later that I realize she meant Celeste and her blue eyes. I want to run back and tell her I got what she meant and that, really, she should be called 75:25 because one eye is half brown. I don't.

The walk was nearing its inevitable end and I was feeling pretty good.

Then we were surrounded by THREE DOGS. Just kidding. They were all on leash - two Weimies and an American Bulldog. They were all well-behaved. I hid Mina behind a car and pretended mine were also well-behaved. I waved and smiled and acted like hiding behind cars was normal for my walk. And sometimes, it is. Mina was suspicious and knew I was trying to hide dogs from her b/c she heard their dog tags. She glared at me, huffed at the car, and nose-bopped my leg.

And that was that.

So, dog lovers, walk your dogs the very first second it's like spring and the trees think it's time to flower. You'll be bestowed with compliments galore. It is a one-day only sort of affair. Today, no compliments, even though the weather's just as nice. The natives are fickle with their kind words.