"Watch your dog!"

In my family, we are not Dog People. We are Cat People. At least I think we are owing to my mother's early and frequent declaration that Dogs Are Yucky.

That said, I am now stepmother to a 100 lb golden retriever named Harley. This is quite a curious turn of events for a previously avowed Cat Person. I should also note that -- duh! -- dogs require a lot more maintenance than cats. What's with this whole walking multiple times a day? Have you ever tried walking a 100 lb dog? He walks you! And don't get me started on the whole poop-scooping-hand-in-bag maneuver.

So life is all about adjustments I guess. Harley is a good dog and I can generally keep him focused while walking, but sometimes he pulls with the strength of an ox towards some new smell or squirrel or other dog that he thinks will be his new friend because all he wants is love and attention. He's probably the gentlest, least aggressive dog you'll ever encounter, but you'd be surprised by the amount of people who lose their shit when they see Harley walking their way.

Grown men stop in their tracks.

Children cry with fear.

Women recoil and cross the street.

I don't know if it's indicative of the culture of people living in my neck of Brooklyn, but they act as if I am walking a harry Velociraptor who will EAT THEM. Seriously, people. This is a Golden Retriever we're talking about. Even I know this and I'm a Cat Person.



The blog title comes courtesy of a charming man who yelled at me because Harley loves kids and he made a motion towards a little girl who excitedly yelled "DOGGY!" while pointing at Harley. Looks like we're not in Park Slope territory anymore . . .