Everywhere I went yesterday involved near faux paws of wondering if people just looked really wrong, or it was Halloween. Timmy had to go to the vet multiple times in the morning for multiple blood draws out of his jugular. I thought there was a new doc there. Nope, it's a doctor suit on the new receptionist? I think. Didn't ask.
That guy sure looks bad on his bike, all heroin junk gray and eye sockets with his cowboy hat. Hey wait, maybe it's his Halloween makeup? Not sure. The girl in tutu and black legwarmers held up with garters and vintage Michael Jordans and huge Kipling backpack? Last week while waiting in line at Longs for way too long there was also a girl with a similar outfit sans the Michael Jordans, so it is possibly a style or possibly Halloween. I don't know.
At agility, there were blessedly few dog costumes, a couple minor decorations. I had a period of my life where I could dress up dogs. Timmy had a standing Princess Diana costume that worked for some years and was real easy. Just slip on pearls and tiara and you're done. One year him and Ruby went as Kurt and Courtney, which involved an old sweater and Ruby some tattered piece of slip and pearls (which had been previously owned by Princess Di). It became apparent Ruby was not the type that you dress up. Timmy sort of liked it. Then I think we stopped having friends and getting invited to places where you might dress up dogs. That was a San Francisco life. Down here on Halloween, you just try to tell skeletons from skeletons.
Dirt night was Halloween night so we didn't have to worry about eating all the candy. I just made the classes do lots of rear crosses. Everyone seemed please to be there instead of dealing with Halloween. Maybe we are a dour and friendless bunch, no party on, no elaborate costume balls to attend. We train those dogs, rain or shine. Get dirty, eat a cupcake, deal with the barking. Hobbes was gone, at the Really Biggest Dog Show, so I just had small dogs. Tried to let Gustavo sit on the deck and watch with someone else but as soon as I ran one of my dogs, the horrible monkey sounds began. Back in the car. Otterpop barked incessantly and I realize now having a large border collie sitting next to her and staring all night may be the key to a quiet Otterpop. He has her whipped. But she sure did run fast last night. Just not dressed up fancy.
Did you ever dream that you were a dog agility super champ except then it switched and you were at some germy, grungy, derelict seaside park in the dark and the carnies were actually drug addled zombies that were shambling after you with hammers and their big teeth? And then as you're trying to escape your way out from under their oily, horrible claws by clambering up a rat infested palm tree, you're all, this is about dog agility like, how?
7 comments:
i could have sworn i saw the walk circle dog lady in a princess costume yesterday...pink dress and these green, supersportywaterproof-almostdotherunning for you shoes. the dogs were unadorned.
we had splurged on fancy ears. cat or devil. i was the devil, w/ sequins! tash
Could there be more of me? Someone dressed up as me for trick or treating? We did not even get to go to Walk Circle for Halloween since we spent the day either at a vets office or work or dog agility night. Perhaps it was a member of my giant fan club dressed up as when I dress up in a pink princess costume for walking the dogs with my tutu and legwarmers! Hello my fan club president are you out there?
Here's why I thinking dressing up dogs may be wrong: people then look at the dog differently.
Looking at a dog is a big thing for a dog, fraught with meaning for the dog, which the individual dog works out in individual and breed-specific, and pack-specific kinds of ways.
So when you dress up the dog, s/he has to do all kinds of new workings out of this being looked at thing, and if it involves lots of people suddenly wanting to exclaim over, or worse, touch a now-rendered "cute" or "funny" looking dog, well, it's really upsetting to the dog.
So, now I'll amend my statement. It's ok to dress up the dog if you always dress the dog up. Sort of like the opposite of if *you* went walking down the street, naked.
Timmy was sort of the dress me up kind of dog. He used to be like a parade dog. He still is, if it is a very slow parade. Timmy would have liked doing all that best in show dog breed dog showing if he had an actual dog breed. He would have liked the running around the ring but not too fast and looking sharp.
Princess Di outfit was just his cup of tea, in his younger days. Ruby as Courtney Love was not a cup of tea. She had the exact don't look at me issues described here.
hey and guess what, Timmy has had 3 straight good and getting better almost to parade-ness days in a row! You go Timmy! Best Dog!
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