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Stay Away

I'm writing this post on the morning of March 27th -- yes, I'm seven weeks ahead of myself on the blog now -- and I'm furious. I have to go see my doctor in a few hours and if I don't calm down he's going to think I've developed high blood pressure. I just ranted for a solid twenty minutes about this problem and I don't feel any better. Fortunately my guy is staying out of my way, because otherwise I'd probably rip his head off.

I walk each of my dogs twice a day, and I go from our house to the front entrance to our neighborhood to stay away from people. I wave to other dog walkers to let them know I'm approaching, and move to the other side of the road to stay away from people. I will wait and let other dog walkers, runners, or people out walking in the same direction go ahead of me and put distance between us so I can stay away from people. Note the common goal here?

There are three reasons why I stay away from people: my dogs are not friendly, other dogs scare them, and I'm basically deaf. Okay, fourth and fifth reason? I am not sociable by nature. I would like to be left alone when I'm walking my skittish, unfriendly dogs. Why can't people leave me alone?

I need to put this on a vest and wear it, apparently, because very few people respect my personal space, my dogs or me, especially one older gentleman who occasionally walks his giant Bernese Mountain pup. It's a beautiful dog. I love dogs. But every time I see it, I have to run.

Since the first time this man and his dog crossed my path he tries to approach me every time he sees me, like this morning. In the past I have called out to him that my dogs are not friendly. I have been forced to turn around and trot back home (just like this morning) to get away from him and his giant dog. This is something he's watched me do three times (now four.) If I don't, my dogs will slip out of their collars and run in the opposite direction, because that huge pup scares the snot out of them. He's seen that happen with Shadow, and STILL he tries to approach me. Every. Single. Time.

Look, I get that most people are lonely, and have no one to talk to, especially in their older years. It's tough for the elderly to keep up with the herd. That's why there are churches and old people clubs and stuff that provide social opportunities for seniors.

As for me, I am not naturally social (I will force myself to be, but only for family) and I dislike being approached by strangers. I've never liked the herd, group thinkers and social butterflies. I've been screwed over by so-called friends in real life so many times I've completely given up on that. I love being alone. The less people in my life, the better. I have all the companionship I want with my guy and our pups. I have online friends to talk to if I need advice or just want to hear what's up with them. My next door neighbors are the only people in the neighborhood I talk to, and only when they come to me.

I don't know. Maybe this guy thinks it's funny, making me run away from him. What a jerk.

Image credit: Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay

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Maria Zannini said…
People really don't understand when some dogs are overly anxious, scared, or unfriendly. I get it. Odin actually likes other dogs, but he doesn't trust people. It's hard to explain to people that their dogs are welcome, but not them.

Nana likes human attention, but she doesn't like dealing with other dogs. Two totally different personalities that I need to handle differently when people are nearby.

Unless you've gone through it, it's hard to explain to people who simply can't grasp the concept.

I'm trying every chance I get to socialize Odin. Mostly I want to desensitize him to people so we can actually go to a vet and let her examine him without anesthetic. He's better, but still wary.
May 15, 2025 at 6:35 AM
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