November 6, 2009

White Dog has spent a lot of time over the past two days thinking and discussing the idea of peace. It has been a wonderful exchange of thoughts and ideas between those who have found their way through our doors. The discussion has also sensitized us to the daily little occurrences of conflict that happen all around us. When White Dog and Steve returned from their walk tonight both were upset. They were taking a break on the grassy lot around the corner and watched an approaching man walking his dog. The dog was well-behaved and walked at a reasonable pace on the leash. When they were still at a distance, the human yanked the dog forcefully back to his side and yelled at him, "I SAID HEEL!" The dog whimpered and hung at his heel but slowly crept forward but not even far enough to stretch out the length of the leash; the man jerked him back again and screamed. This happened all the way down the block. When they came to where White Dog was sitting the other pup (they could now clearly see it was a young lab mix) yipped a greeting and stopped for a second to look. This seemed to enrage the human who grabbed the dog by his neck and threw him onto his back. With his fist bunched in the dog's chest hair the owner shouted "YOU. DO. NOT. BARK! AND. WHO. TOLD. YOU TO. STOP!" The poor puppy was cringing at this point. Steve reassured the man that everything was OK and that the pup was just being friendly. He was told to mind his own business. White Dog was frightened and hid behind Steve's legs barking a challenge. As he dragged his poor pet on their continued walk the man's parting words to White Dog were "If you were MY dog, you'd know how to behave!" Steve hugged her and whispered in her ear "That man doesn't deserve to have the love of ANY dog!"