My Take
DiVoran Lites
On my way home from my walk day, before yesterday, I came upon two bit pit bulls running wild on the trail. They both barked at me and I started saying my prayers. I’d seen the black and white dog before, but not the pure white one. All I knew to do was act brave and pretend to be friendly. When they stopped barking and started wagging their tails, I took a breath of much-needed air. After a few minutes, I decided to move toward home and they decided to turn around and go with me. I walked a ways then turned to see if they were coming along. They stopped and look nonchalant as if they were busy sniffing the side of the trail and couldn’t care less what I was doing. I went around a corner where they couldn’t see me and when I came out again they actually ran to catch up.
When we got back to the neighborhood, they left me to go to their back door while I went to the front of the block. The owner was in the garage with her son. I told her they’d been a mile down the trail and she was very upset with them. I urged her to keep them in and she thanked me. I could just imagine how terrified people would be by such big dogs of a breed that had such a bad reputation. Here in the south they are often used as fighting dogs for gambling and have been known to fight to the death.
Today I walked past her house on my way to the trail and three pit bulls rushed out. Two were barking, but they didn’t fool me anymore. I said hello and tails started to wag. They knew I was going for a walk and asked if they could go too. I said a big no, although by now I liked them and would have enjoyed their company. The third one was a puppy. She said she’d go wherever everybody else was going. I did everything I could to rouse the person who lives there but at first got no answer.
I thought I would turn around and go home, but I could see they didn’t care where I was going, they just wanted to be with somebody. There’s was nothing else happening right then. Then I thought about trying to get them into the old car sitting in the driveway so they couldn’t follow me, but I didn’t know how long it would be before somebody came. I went to the open garage and yelled HELLO as loud as I could — twice. Finally, the woman who lives there came out. She was mad at the dogs. She was DONE. This was IT! She wasn’t mad at me. We had a little talk. The white dog was her son’s, but he was sharing custody with her. She had found the pup on the street when she came home at three a. m. from work the night before. It seemed lost. Now she picked it up and cuddled it and said in a baby-talk voice, “but you’re going to the pound, aren’t you, sweetie?” The pup snuggled up to her not seeming to understand what she was saying.
The woman and I had a little chat about the white dog’s nipples, wondering if she was pregnant. The woman said she and her son had discussed it, too. They’d only had her five days, but they thought maybe she was.
Everything is going to be all right though, at least for me. I liked the woman and would have enjoyed having her as a neighbor. I liked all the dogs too, but there was just something a bit much about the whole scenario. In the end, she told me she’d be moving because the house, which she is renting, sold. I’ll take another route until I’m sure they’re gone. It’s almost the end of the month so it shouldn’t be long. I used to have a big dog that ran free back when the woods were wild and there was no official trail, no other people. I miss him. I wouldn’t mind if those dogs walked with me, I just don’t think anybody would appreciate my entourage, well, not when they first met them, anyway.
Old Things R New 