Biking with Dharma Dog

A little reality note: just 'cause you're happy, it doesn't mean that happiness gets automatically spread to everyone you meet. Sometimes it incurs just the opposite. Dharma dog and I have been encountering that a lot lately, coming across people who are so identified with their misery that they can't stand to see anyone else having a good time... or doing something a little out of the ordinary, like riding a bike with a dog leashed to it - despite the fact that we do it using one of the safest contraptions designed for doing this sort of thing.

Golden Gate lady #1: 

"How does he get to sniff with you dragging him around like that? That's so cruel!" 

She has a little yapper on a leash and it's sniffing and marking all over the place - not a healthy thing for dog or environment. Dog pee is highly acidic and fries all vegetation it comes in contact with. And incessant marking is a symptom and cause of neurosis. She has no idea that Huskies love to run, especially on a leash because they can pretend to be pulling a sled. Most likely, she didn't even see what kind of dog I had or even know what a Husky is.

Golden Gate lady #2: 

"Your dog is tired!" she shouts as she rides by on her bike, not waiting for any answer from me but slows down enough to give me a dirty look. Of course, none of these self appointed guardians of animal welfare are interested in dialog. I look at Nikki and he isn't anywhere near tired. I know his limits very well by now and I never ride faster than he can run.

Presidio lady:

Training her dog on the footpath. Her dog is on a leash and wears a muzzle. She's trying to get its attention with a food bribe, trying to work it in between the muzzle! Her dog, as most normal dogs, was more interested in meeting Nikki. She's pissed. The control freak can't get control.

"Do you have a leash?" She asks.

"Yeah," I said.

"Will you put it on?"

"No," I said. "I told you he's friendly and your dog doesn't seem to mind him at all," I said, riding off, with Nikki trailing behind off-leash, totally uninterested in the dog or its owner. She begins to yell at me and continues yelling as I pull away.

Central Ave lady: 

"Leash too short," she says and looks at me with disapproval.

"Huh?" I said, incredulously. 

"Leash too short." 

"The leash is fine," I said, not bothering to waste time explaining that the leash is intentionally kept short so the dog doesn't run in front of the bike or get it tangled up in the rear wheel. At the same time, there was plenty of slack for the dog to move about comfortably.

"That's cruelty to animals!" she says.

By now, I ran out of patience with these people. I said, "SHUT up!" and pulled away.

Now... I wonder if it's a coincidence that these were all women. Seems like unhappy men resort to physical violence while their female counterparts use psychological aggression. And is it a coincidence that they were all white? Are they less inhibited about berating people of color than they are with white people? Do they feel bolder with me and morally superior? Or were they just looking to find some company for their misery?

Hmmm... probably all of the above. 

Deep breaths... shake it off. Look at Nikki, give him a treat. "What a good dog!" The new pavement around Stowe Lake is a dream! And the morning air, after a sprinkle of rain, smells so fresh and clean!