Running with Pops

Running with Pops

Hey, it's me again! It's been raining the last coupla days so Pops and I haven't been out with the bike. Just walking around the neighborhood. Been a lot more peaceful this way. Yeah, no more getting jacked up by know-it-all busy-bodies. Guess Pops been telling you about all that, huh! Yeah, that last one really got to him, after a string of them lately. What's up with that?! 

He held it pretty good, though. The most he said was "Shut up."  No "F' word or nuthin'. But for most of the ride he was kinda lost in his own thoughts. Every now and then I hear him breathing deep, and we weren't even going up a hill or nuthin'. A coupla times he shook his head and shoulders - kinda like what we do when we're wet but he doesn't know how to do it right. I think it made him a bit dizzy! LOL! It wasn't till we got to Stowe Lake that he lightened up. I mean, who wouldn't? It was beautiful out there. They just finished paving the road so it was all smooth and smelling nice from the rain and just then, the sun came out too. That's when he remembered I was there and he looked over at me and gave me a treat. "Good dog!" he said, but I didn't do anything to deserve a treat. 'Course I took it anyway. Who needs a reason?!

Seems to me Pops got a lot more upset than need be. Funny. I mean, not his being upset but how he got upset. You know how he said them people identified themselves with their misery, like, their identity = misery? And that's why they act the way they do? Well, seems to be Pops got some identity thing too, although it's not about being unhappy. See, Pops sees himself as a good dog person - kind, knowledgeable and conscientious - like, picking up my poop and everything. And he is all that - I'm a witness and I can testify! But... he's built himself an identity around it. Now, identity, as we Buddhists know, is an illusory thing. There is no fixed thing called "I" and as long as we think we have one, we cling to it, defend it and sometimes lay a heavy trip on others because of it, like them people who been harassing him. So Pops was upset that the nice image or ID he has of himself was disrespected. But really, it was just all of them having identity clashes with each other - like how me and Trina bark at other dogs in our neighborhood sometimes.

Yeah, I say sometimes. I usually never bark or harass other dogs. I'm one mellow guy. But with Trina around, she gets me going. There' re a coupla yappers that he hates. So when she barks, I bark. Gotta give her support, right? I mean, she's my sister and all. Plus, I don't know what we're barking at half the time, but I don't want her to think I'm a flake, or a wuss. See? We all got ID issues.

With Trina, it's also from her conditioning. I don't know her past but humans have done all kinds of shitty things to us dogs. Moms and Pops have been real good to her but they can't seem to change some things. I guess Trina still thinks she's a shepherd even though there's no sheep around to protect and no bad wolves to attack us. She's stuck on her identity. LOL! But... She did scare away someone who tried to steal the planter on our front stoop once. Yeah, she was baa-a-ad!

Anyway, I think Pops had a few days to chill out and I think he sees through some of his own stuff. I guess being scolded is one of his hot buttons, especially when it comes from white people. Yeah, a lot of karma and past conditioning... Shit happens and it takes a lot to get over it, which is why I say, don't give people shit! It's gonna come back to you one way or another. Don't add any more to what we already got!

Adios, muchachos!

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!