By Erik Dolson<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had a number of wonderful dogs in my life, going back to childhood. I\u2019ve loved them, played with them, walked with them, taken them to the vet, buried them with tears flowing down my cheeks.<\/p>\n
Consequently, I\u2019m a little mystified by my response to all the dogs I\u2019m now seeing everywhere, especially on the docks, coming off boats, in dinghies, on sidewalks. Not just small or medium-sized \u201cboat dogs.\u201d Full-sized, sometimes really large dogs. Today a St. Bernard.<\/p>\n
And often now, more than one: today a pair of some kind of large \u201cdoodle\u201d dogs were leashed to a man with short and very curly hair. I don\u2019t think he appreciated my joke. Shortly after that, a black lab matched with a golden lab jumped from a couple\u2019s dinghy. After they got everything sorted out to head into town, I asked if they traded which dog each walked. \u201cNo! This is MY dog. The black Lab is HIS!\u201d I wondered if there were behavioral issues at play.<\/p>\n
Anywhere and everywhere, all these dogs. People don\u2019t want to leave their dog in the car any more, either, even with air conditioning. \u201cService Dogs Only,\u201d is pretty much a joke. I think Home Depot has hired a canine effluent specialist.<\/p>\n
Aside from wondering how much protein goes in one end and how much poop comes out the other, I also wonder if we are so starved for love in America that we have to buy a sense of connection.<\/p>\n
Of course, people can spend their money however they like. And maybe I\u2019m just imagining this canine cornucopia, like when I bought a silver Subaru and suddenly there were silver Subarus at every intersection. But I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n
Of course, if I didn\u2019t live half my life on a boat, which complicates things greatly, there\u2019s no doubt a Humane Society rescue would be sleeping on the floor at the end of my bed (\u201cget down!\u201d).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Erik Dolson<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had a number of wonderful dogs in my life, going back to childhood. I\u2019ve loved them, played with them, walked with them, taken them to the vet, buried them with tears flowing down my cheeks.<\/p>\n
Consequently, I\u2019m a little mystified by my response to all the dogs I\u2019m now seeing everywhere, especially on the docks, coming off boats, in dinghies, on sidewalks. Not just small or medium-sized \u201cboat dogs.\u201d Full-sized, sometimes really large dogs. Today a St. Bernard.<\/p>\n
And often now, more than one: today a pair of some kind of large \u201cdoodle\u201d dogs were leashed \u2026 Read more\u2026