Canine Courtesy

If you have ever been a dog owner, you know there are certain rules of etiquette when walking your dog. One of those rules being to keep a respectful distance from other folks out walking their canine companions.

Maintaining a courteous distance is imperative for letting the dogs concentrate on the business at hand - if you know what I mean. It also keeps the human companions from being tugged into an unexpected trot and running headlong into one another as the dogs race to check each other out.

Tonight I saw what, at first glance, appeared to be just such a display of courtesy. A man and his dog were standing near the end of their driveway while a woman with her pet made their way along the shoulder of the road. But when the woman had walked a considerable distance and the man had still not moved, my curiosity was piqued.

Slowing my car, I saw that both the man and his dog had nearly identical expressions on their faces. Expressions that suggested they had just eaten something incredibly bitter - or had just witnessed a stranger excrete bodily fluids on their property. With their expressions so alike, I had to wonder which one was going to raise their leg to mark the property as theirs again.