Monday, February 05, 2007

Jerk Meter

How high on the Jerk Meter would you put him?

Today, on the way back from Yuma, I stopped in Lake Havasu City at a park that, according to the signs, was a "view area" in my attempt to view the London Bridge that someone imported there. I parked and walked all around, but obviously not enough "all around" because I didn't see the bridge from there. (I did see it later from another place...) BUT...I was in a park that had a fenced off area clearly labeled Dog Park and there were lots of people and their dogs there cavorting around and having a lovely late afternoon time. Outside the fence there were many offical signs stating "No Dogs Here" with the drawing of a dog covered in the red/slashed circle. It was really obvious. As I walked back up the rise from the river's edge toward my car, I stopped to photograph a huge flock of birds (at least 100) that were on the lawn busily eating. They were coots, about the size of chickens, really going to town on the bugs in the grass or the grass itself. It was remarkable because it was such a lot of birds altogether with identical behavior.

From the opposite side of the park, about 100 yards away, came a tall, buff, shaved head white dude with a lovely blonde woman accompanying him, and he leaned down, and unleashed his dog, I didn't recognize the breed--about boxer sized with pointy ears--and sicced the dog on the birds. And laughed uproariously as the dog went into the huge flock of oblivious birds chasing them into the water. (They're swimmers.) The dog turned and the guy sicced him on the rest of the birds that hadn't responded to the first group's frightened rush. The guy praised his dog and laughed loudly again and they kept walking toward a set of playground equipment covered with kids and the guy started hollering, to no avail, for the dog to come to him. They went around the corner of the hill and I didn't see if he ever got the dog to come back nor if he put it back on the leash.

You all would have been really proud of me for keeping my mouth shut. I was close enough to shout out "Hey---***hole! This is the NO DOGS part of the park!" And it took every fiber of self-control in my body to resist. But...I don't need the bad kharma.

But...I found myself thinking: I hope they never have children. I don't want to have kids raised by him (or her) in my class, ever.

1 comment:

COOLGUY said...

Good job on the self control; I don't need a drive to Lake Havasu City to get you out of jail...