i think about things after they happen. i hope that helps me think about them as they happen, and even a moment before sometimes. on my last walk i saw a boy with a tiny pup behind me and the turribles, ian and malcolm. malcolm is actually sweet as pie and ian a curmudgeon but rearely with little dogs. the guy crossed the street and we crossed at the corner. he was avoiding us again though his pup was ecstatic to meet. i asked, the guy hesitated then allowed, then his pup jumped on ian and ian told him off and the guy said thanks with acid and i said, that's how dogs talk, and he said, i've been to class, and i said so you avoid everything, good class. as i walked away i said you just failed life class, buddy. honestly you dont need a stupid class to be stupid, most people manage fine on their own, avoiding everything. but to pay someone to teach you to avoid contact with other dogs, that's a banal injustice, not learning. anyway, no harm done and if the owner doesn't get it, the dog did, before either of us could say jack sprat.

p.s. ian is an asshole and i should have gotten down there among them, or held the little shit.

p.p.s. i understand the fear of new dog owners. but this is when the dog needs to begin interacting and learning from other dogs. i regret that a meeting like this one, which was all too brief and ended with the owner, dog tucked under arm, fleeing, will entrench him even more. but then i think, how much more entrenched in fear can you be. he was already fleeing before the meeting. for his pup it was over, lesson learned. but the benighted owner's fear will be underscored. a shame, we live in a violent culture, we live in a pre-emptive culture, a fear culture. for the powerful that means profits untold, but for us down here with our dogs, it means wasted opportunity, wasted life, missed freedom, lost joy.