I don't know where my kids got the idea to be afraid of it, but the sight of this dog approaching us unattended, made them panic. Both kids grabbed on to me on either side and tried to climb me as if I was a tree. The owner of the dog was watching our proceedings with an impassive expression.
"You should have your dog on a leash", I said to him.
Without batting an eye he growled - "Mind your own f***** business!"
Well, I'm pretty sure that my kids hysterics and safety is MY business, but I did not take this further, not having any confidence that the creep wouldn't seek his dog on us.
I've lived in NY most of my life, and by now I should be immune to some New Yorkers particular brand of rudeness, but I'm not. The incident had a very deep impression on me.
Firstly, there is a law in most states, NY included, stating that a dog's owner is obligated to have the dog restrained at all time in public places. Second, pit bulls are famous for being aggressive. I was not even aware to what extent, until I googled them and found numerous articles of cases where people were mauled, scarred for life and even killed by unrestrained pit bulls. All of you dog advocates out there, don't get your feathers ruffled yet. I'm not saying that all pits are inherently evil or dangerous, but there must be a good reason why this particular breed is outlawed in some States/Countries and those people who chose to own one, have a responcibility to take proper precoutions in the interest of public safety.
Third, speaking as a mother of two precious, dearer than life, children, how dare anyone out there take chances with my, or any kids safety in the inerests of their dog?!
Finally, the fact that this man, in his early thirties, had absolutely no scruples about cursing out a mother in front of her small innocent children, for showing justified concern for their safety is just beyond low. Why do some people insist on being such scum?
In our family, we positively abhor cursing. Not for any religious reasons but because we feel it's lowly and undignified. We strive to raise our kids to be intelligent, pure and compassionate individuals who will never lower themselves or their fellow humans by resigning to such language, and it saddens me to think how many rotten people my kids will have to encounter on their journey through life.
Thankfully, this incident only left us with a bad feeling, but there's a lesson to be learned from all of this. I know what I learned, I hope you people learned something too.
Though this has absolutely nothing to do with the general gist of my blog, I had to get it off my chest as I feel very strongly about this point.
PEOPLE, KEEP YOUR DOGS ON A LEASH!
