ANIMALS WITH FLAIR

[schlomo]

Animals with Flair

The other day on my walk, I had a few exceptional encounters with two dogs and a rooster.

Near my condo, I was taken aback when I happened to see in my path a shaggy poodle circle a patch of grass five times, deposit five substantial pieces of poop, and then give its owner a high five. What a shtick! And there wasn’t even an admission fee for the performance.

More entertainment greeted me as I turned the corner. A no-nonsense rooster soon appeared, methodically staying a step ahead of me for half a block, guiding me and perhaps guarding me along the way. We made an awesome duo. I didn’t have a chance to thank the rooster for giving me a bit of companionship because it, without warning, abruptly scooted under a fence where many roosters had congregated.

Just before I ended my walk, I noticed that a young man was giving a child a piggyback ride. At the same time, the man had a puppy on a leash. While the youngster was having a rollicking time, the dog was not pleased at all. It wanted to stay put. To stop any forward motion, it yanked at its leash and awkwardly tried to plunk its bottom against the cement. But its owner continued to pull at the leash, while the dog continued to stubbornly hold back. After it was disciplined by the tightening leash, the dog gave up the tug of war: But not for long. The puppy once more refused to budge. I don’t know how long this stalemate lasted; but in any case, I admired the dog’s spunk and the young man’s tough love.

If I don’t observe randomly odd people on my walks, I can usually count on the shenanigans of animals (pets or otherwise). When that happens, I’m reminded of the initial lyrics of one of my favorite children’s songs: “I went to the animal fair….”