I wish I could replay this.
So I went for a little walk before supper. To get my appetite going, as it were. As if it needs it, ha! But anyway. After a few blocks in my suburban neighbourhood, I’m approaching a family across the street from me. I don’t know them. They’re speaking a language I’m not familiar with. There’s a mother, father, a couple of kids… and an adorable little white poodle, that looks a lot like this one.
Photo (cc) by Tanakawho
I slow my pace, intending to cross the street to greet the dog, it’s so darn cute. But as I keep watching, I see that the little guy is kind of excited, prancing around near the father, who is in the midst of loading some items into his SUV parked in the driveway. The dog is trotting first one way, then the other, and I fully expect that any minute the man is going to ask one of the kids to take him out of the way, inside. Or put him on a leash. Or some other sensible thing.
But no. What does he do? All of a sudden he reaches down, picks up the pup, and plops him on top of the roof of the car. Yes. The high, hot roof of the SUV. That’s been sitting under the burning sun all day.
The dog, probably bewildered (unless he’s been stuck up there before, like an object), darts to and fro on the roof – my heart’s in my mouth, I think maybe he’ll fall, slide off, or jump off, to escape the burning metal.
Seconds pass, my mouth’s dropped open, I’m wracked with indecision, wanting to say something, but paralyzed, when finally the idiot man plucks the pup off the roof and then – then I can’t look anymore, I am so disgusted.
But am I more disgusted with him? Or with myself?
I know what I should have done… but I can’t rewind time. Sigh.
Crossed Eyes and Dotted Tees 
Iiiiiii don’t know that you did the wrong thing. You don’t wanna be a nosy neighbor, now do you? Remember Ms. Kravitz from Bewitch? She wore down my nerves even on the tele. Why, just on the news this morning, I heard tale of a neighbor killing a woman’s husband on account of their dog. Take that into consideration when stepping into other folk territory. Just sayin’.
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I know, I actually did have a similar horrible thought cross my mind, as I said below, that man looked mean. Poor lil dog…
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Oh my good grief, this broke my heart!!! I understand your indecision and your remorse about not doing anything, but yes, you should always err on the side of acting like my crazy great-grandmother (who I resemble a little too much in looks): when a man was beating his horse in front of her house she ran outside, grabbed the whip, and beat the man with it! Those poor little doggie paws. Can you keep an eye on these people in case you need to report them?
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I’ll try; I’m not sure I would remember which house, they’re all just about identical! But Luanne, I think it was fear that stopped me – I felt outnumbered…and the man looked extremely mean. I still feel bad, though. Damn.
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Yes, I understand. If you can figure it out though I would keep an eye out for that little dog.
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I’ll sure try!
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I would have done exactly what you did.
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You mean… nothing? Maybe it’s the terrible times we’re living in now. I still feel bad though!!
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It’s difficult to know what to do sometimes. I went to the post office on a seriously hot day and saw an older dog tied up outside. It looked like it was about to perish. I went in and asked who owned the dog and told him it was cruel to leave an older dog outside in such heat. The man started yelling at me and some people in the queue told me I should have minded my own business.
No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.
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😢😢😢
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Sadly, these times have made us have to second guess our actions-or inactions. Think of the two souls that spoke up for the muslim girls on the train in Portland, Oregon.
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I know. Terribly sad!!! Crazy crazy times!
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