Those of you who have met Toby in “real life” know that he is very well-mannered. To give you an idea of Toby’s level of patience, our friends’ 18-month-old inadvertently (isn’t everything that 18-months-olds do inadvertent?) stomped on Toby’s foot. Toby just looked at him sweetly as if to say, “Dear child, I know you did not mean to do this. I love you.”
Likewise, Toby gets along with a majority of the dogs in the neighborhood. He wags his tail when he sees them coming down the street. They sniff butts, wag tails, hang out together. When we see joggers, runners, walkers, cars, what have you, Toby and Lucy go to the side of the road and sit. (Before you email me asking me what I’m doing walking in the street to begin with, there no sidewalks in my neighborhood.)
However….
Toby has a beef with three dogs in the neighborhood. One is a Weimeraner (the big grey dogs in the William Wegman photos), and two are the Bouviers (Yes, this is an actual dog breed. You can read about them here. They are the closest approximation to a Muppet of any dog breed, in my opinion.)
His issue with the Bouviers stems from an incident when we were walking past their chain-link fenced yard (which is very wooded) and both Bouviers charged us (seemingly out of nowhere), growling and showing their teeth. Niiice. Since then, Toby hates the Bouviers. Can’t say I blame him.
The only issue I can think of with the Weimeraner is that he occasionally is seen wandering around the neighborhood sans human. My guess is that at some point he stepped upon the yard that is Toby’s Holy Kingdom, and King Toby was not pleased. (Granted, he could just have an irrational hatred of the Weimeraner. But being that I am a biased dog mommy, obviously the Weimeraner did something to deserve Toby’s wrath.)
So when I see said Weimeraner or the Bouviers coming down the street, I usually take a different path, and hope Toby doesn’t see them as we are making the turn.
However, yesterday the Weimeraner (this time the owner was actually walking him on a leash) was coming down the street towards us. I always walk on the right side of the street. The owner decides she is going to walk towards us and crosses to the same side of the street. So she is walking on her left side. I am walking on the (ahem) correct side. I decide to not play a game of dog chicken, so I cross over to the other side of the street. The owner has her Weimeraner sit. He’s just sitting and staring blankly (Weimeraners have never struck me as having a lot going on upstairs. I apologize if you are a Wiemeraner owner. I’m sure they are geniuses.)
So I’m hoping Toby sees this dog’s good behavior and just lets it go. I compliment the owner on her dog’s behavior. That’s when Toby goes insane. The closest approximation to Toby’s behavior would be that of Animal on the Muppet Show. He eminates a sound somewhat similar to this: “BRREAGGGGGH ARRRRRRG REAAAAAAAAAAAR BLEEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRG”. The hackles are up, he’s looking like the Hulk.
The Weimeraner? He continues his blank stare ahead. So this adds to the total dog diss Toby receives from the Weimeraner.
Mind you, Toby and Lucy are attached by a yoke on the leash (this allows me to walk both of them on one leash). So whatever one does, the other is along for the ride. Lucy’s expression at this point is, “I’m only inches away from the devil incarnate. Wonderful.”
We continue to walk (or an approximation of walking), and eventually the Weimeraner (I’m getting really tired of spelling that by now) is out of our line of sight. I ask Tobes why he went crazy on the Weimeraner. Toby? “Mom, it’s just one of those things. It had to be done. He was on my turf.” (No, the dog does not actually talk to me. But he is very expressive.) So I let it go.
Toby is a really well behaved dog. Really.