There are plenty of people in this world who love dogs, so I feel no guilt about my lack of a preference for dogs. My view of dogs might better be described as a mild fear--particularly of large, loud dogs. Small dogs, not so much, but I'd still just as soon they keep to their own space and I'll keep to mine.
Cyrus, on the other hand, is at a stage where he is intrigued by any and all animals, and the sight of someone else's dog usually means we have to restrain Cyrus as he has not yet learned that not everything that moves and breathes is a friend (he has also tried vainly to befriend birds at the park).
We took Cyrus to the beach this weekend, which ended up being a bit of an unexpected adventure, in which a puppy decided to befriend me--even though I did absolutely nothing to encourage it.
A couple showed up shortly after we arrived with two puppies that weren't on leashes--at least I think they were puppies, not grown dogs, both because they were both really small, and because they didn't seem to have learned much about listening to their owners yet. That's okay, my human "puppy" is a whole year old and also doesn't quite understand the full meaning of "Come!" The black puppy, in particular, decided to become my little beach buddy, and sat next to me on my blanket for much of the evening, in spite of repeated attempts by its owners to lure it away to play in the water and sand.
Here I'm telling it, "Go to your family!"
I'm laughing in all these pictures...largely because Angel was laughing at me because of the sheer coincidence of this puppy picking out the one person on the beach who is probably least in love with its adorable self to befriend. Or not a coincidence? I've heard that dogs can sense when people are scared of them.
Cyrus was more active in trying to pet the dogs and play with them and they were quite friendly. I was a little nervous because he hasn't fully learned how to be gentle with animals, only pet on their backs, etc, and puppies can be unpredictable, but all three were very happy together.
The puppies' owners kept taking photos of Cyrus with their dogs, haha, and at some point, pretty much gave up on playing with their dogs at the beach because these two were not at all keen on leaving Cyrus or me.
Even by the end of our evening, when Cyrus finally got interested in a new activity, namely, attempting to single-handedly demolish a sandbank, there's still a puppy wandering in the background.
A fun and unexpected evening at the beach!
P.S. Cyrus has had a variety of adventures with strangers over the past few days! A group celebrating a birthday next to us at a restaurant gave him birthday cake and a birthday balloon. Angel took Cyrus out for a walk and the apartment complex's security guard wanted to hold him and asked why he had a bloody lip (The real question is when does Cyrus NOT have a bloody lip. They seem to be an occupational hazard for toddlers living in an environment build out of tile). Babies make friends so easily, don't they?
That's so funny that the puppy just wanted to be with you! That story kind of reminds me of a time when I was at a park a few years ago. I had some time before picking up my husband from work, so I was sitting at a picnic table with a book-and a squirrel kept coming up right next to me. I immediately thought that this squirrel would pounce in my face and eat me alive, so I kept moving...and it kept coming next to me. It was so frustrating, because I just wanted to read! I finally got up and walked away to find another area in which I could read my book. Animals are so interesting!
I find it fascinating, as well, to see how little kids react in different ways. My firstborn (who is almost 3) enjoys looking at dogs, but never wants to actually pet them (aside from the pug next door-but it took him weeks to finally get comfortable playing with that dog). My second, on the other hand (9 months old) loves dogs and always wants to sit and pet them.
That's so funny and so sweet! My husband wishes he could befriend every dog that passes him by and I have to remind him that not all owners appreciate people coming up to their dogs! We're hoping to get a dog of our own once we move in January!
The photos of you and the puppy are so sweet! It really does seem to have taken a liking to you haha :') I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable as I have a friend who detests cats and can't stand being around them (she's afraid of them as she had a bad experience as a kid). I also loved the shot of Cyrus with the pups--so adorable!
imperfect idealist
Ha ha, I had to come and find out who the dog-hater in the family was. I kind of feel this way about cats. Sometimes I laugh hearing about their antics, but really I'm thinking "why would you want to LIVE with a creature that scratches, bites, jumps on you when you're sleeping, climbs on the counters, destroys things, yowls at inconvenient times, etc?" I agree that siblings will react differently to animals. My toddler loves them and my 6 yr old freaks out. You live in such a beautiful place!
I'm allergic to cats and dogs, and of COURSE they always want to play with me. I think they're just so confused that I'm not obsessively playing with them like all the other humans.
Post a Comment