One thing I’ve learned about having dogs is its an amazing way to get to know your neighbors. Another thing I’ve learned about my neighbors is the pseudo-bond with an animal crosses all boundaries. Yet another thing is some of my neighbors only want this pseudo-bond with the dogs and want nothing to do with me.
Example:
Tonight I was taking the kids out for Last Call. This is the very business like walk that is meant to get things moving and quickly because I’m usually tired and ready to get in bed.
The elevator reaches the ground floor and just as the door opens, adorable little Dry Cleaning Man (I call him this because he always has LOADS of dry cleaning every time I see him) is waiting. He sees the dogs, tumbles to his knees, sans dry cleaning, then sits in the track of the elevator door cuddling and kissing the dogs.
**sidenote--I do not like the dogs standing in the elevator door track for any period of time because there have been several incidents of getting a foot caught in the gap between the floor and the elevator resulting in frantic pulling and tugging of said foot in an effort to liberate it before the door can slide closed. They have also been known to stand there long enough, yet not be tall enough to prevent the elevator from closing. When this happens they don’t move forward or backward out of the path of the door, they slide sideways as the door slides closed risking getting crushed. Its usually Mom’s swift action of scooping the oblivious one out of harms path that saves the (fur)kiddo from getting squashed.
This man continued sitting in the elevator track, slobbering all over the dogs speaking rapidly to them in Mandarin, I believe. He keeps hugging them, making kissing noises and burying his face in their fur.
I’m guessing he had a really bad day.
He never once looked at me, as is often the case when this happens. In his own private world, he just continued nuzzling the dogs and in return they licked his face and snuggled right up to him.
I’m standing, patiently waiting for the spectacle to finish. It didn’t. It went on for a long time. The elevator began to buzz continuously. He showed no signs of moving but continued to cuddle, kiss, hug and nuzzle the dogs and they gave back every bit of love to this man.
After several minutes of the buzzing echoing throughout the parking garage, his wife appears seemingly from nowhere and begins speaking to him rapidly in the foreign language they share. Its obvious she isn’t happy with him sitting on the ground, loving on these dogs and begins to nudge him with her foot. He didn’t budge.
Then the most amazing thing happened. She sat, in her beautiful business suit and expensive heels, on the ground and cuddled the dogs with him. In serendipitous placement, my girl dog slid to her lap and boy dog stayed with him.
At this point I didn’t know what to do. This has happened with men, women, children, families, neighbors, co-workers, all kinds of people but never for this long. And never with someone so impeccably dressed that is just flat out sitting on the ground of the parking garage.
I continued to just stand there, holding leashes. They continued as though I wasn't there at all.
She finally rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at her husband. He looked down at her and kissed her on the cheek. They both sighed, smiled and got up, going fully into the elevator, never once looking at or speaking to me. Not even a wave.
I was okay with that because it was obvious they both felt better and had somehow received what they needed from the interaction. My dogs had provided the surrogate pet love their lives were lacking. And this made me happy. From the looks of the bouncing (fur)kids at my feet, it made them quite happy as well.
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