Pariah dogs roam our streets. Because of our neighborhood's religion we have dogs and not monkeys causing havoc. Our dogs, unlike other dogs in the city, move across neighborhood lines and tend not to stay in one cul-de-sac like the dogs act in more Hindu neighborhoods. Dogs in our neighborhood run wild, sleep wild and fight wild. We stir clear of them and when they get close we say "Hut!" a command to scram.
At a recent coffee/play date we encountered another cultural problem. We visited a family with a pet dog. Snickers, a tiny little bundle of sweetness, sent both children over the edge. Firstly why was the dog in the house? Why was the canine pursuing them to lick them? Why were the two kids (demi-gods to my tiny ones as they shared, talked, did crafts with them, and listened to them even though they were more than five years older than them), why were they picking up the dog!! Could these awesome friends be a little crazy?
Abe started yelling "Hut!" And ran to me, the safe haven telling me rapidly of this new family's strange acceptance of dogs. His commands to scram increased in passion as I tried to juggle his sleeping sister. It took us all a long second to register his terror and its reason.
The family were sympathetic but what about strangers walking their doggy family member around a lake and some toddler starts yelling at it in a different language. Or worse tries to throw a rock at it to protect his little sister........ I am not sure how sympathetic those people will feel!
Yet another hurtle. For now I am hoping to schedule another coffee date that I'll thoroughly enjoy with a faith filled, joy bubbling sister and call it puppy training for my kids.
At a recent coffee/play date we encountered another cultural problem. We visited a family with a pet dog. Snickers, a tiny little bundle of sweetness, sent both children over the edge. Firstly why was the dog in the house? Why was the canine pursuing them to lick them? Why were the two kids (demi-gods to my tiny ones as they shared, talked, did crafts with them, and listened to them even though they were more than five years older than them), why were they picking up the dog!! Could these awesome friends be a little crazy?
Abe started yelling "Hut!" And ran to me, the safe haven telling me rapidly of this new family's strange acceptance of dogs. His commands to scram increased in passion as I tried to juggle his sleeping sister. It took us all a long second to register his terror and its reason.
The family were sympathetic but what about strangers walking their doggy family member around a lake and some toddler starts yelling at it in a different language. Or worse tries to throw a rock at it to protect his little sister........ I am not sure how sympathetic those people will feel!
Yet another hurtle. For now I am hoping to schedule another coffee date that I'll thoroughly enjoy with a faith filled, joy bubbling sister and call it puppy training for my kids.
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