When you live in a big city like New York you realize what a strange, strange relationship most people have with their dogs (and cats, for that matter). People who live in shoebox-sized apartments keep Great Danes or other large breeds and big burly men take their 500gram miniature poodles for ‘walkies’ on diamante leashes. It’s weird and it’s taken me some time to get used to it. I always grew up thinking that dogs needed back yards and lots of space, but in the city it seems that dogs are more human than many of the people you pass on the street.
I recently received the following snippet from a friend and just thought it was so typically ‘New York’ that I had to share it:
‘Older lady with small dog and man with small dog stop on sidewalk because dogs are greeting each other (man’s wife waiting impatiently several feet ahead. Man (saying not to the lady, but to the dogs): “This is Clyde.” Older lady (saying not to the man, but to the dogs): “Clyde? This is Simon!” Man: “Simon?! MY middle name is Simon!”
It was at this point that the friend (a Canadian, possibly my favorite breed!) had to walk away and giggle, rushing to her computer to tell me about this exchange.
Up until yesterday, this was my favorite dog-in-the-city story. However, it just got blown out of the water with what happened while we were walking in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I’ll set the scene…
Quiet, trendy neigborhood street, lined with small boutiques and coffee shops, hipsters with too-tight jeans and quirky hats (some wearing suspender belts…yes, I know). Four of us are walking down the street when we hear a big Harley-Davidson-caused roarrrrr coming down the street. Cutting through the roar was the high-pitched barking of a small dog and we also heard a lady scream. What I saw made me laugh so hard that I cried…
Two burly men on a low-slung Harley were slowly making their way up the street – the one on the back clutching his driver’s shoulders and peering angstly over his own towards a white Scottish Terrier running full force after the bike, chasing it with all its might. This wouldn’t have been as funny if it wasn’t for the fact that the Scotty’s leash was trailing behind him and that the Scotty’s owner was crazily running after the bike-and-dog combo, cluthing her handbag, sunglasses and pointlessly trying to catch the Scotty’s leash – uttering faint girly screams!
The day was saved by a third burly man who blockaded the Scotty’s tirade, grabbed its leash and handed it to the flushed owner. So funny!
I would have paid really good money for that video clip and thought to myself that this is not a scene you’re likely to see anywhere other than New York. Ha ha haaa!
