My name is Strider. I was a street dog, now I’m a dog about town. I’ve got my nose to the ground for you.
By Strider the Dog
Dear Strider,
While we were shopping together at the Co-op, my best friend of 50 years suddenly turned on me in the vegetable section for no reason and snapped my head off. The store was extra crowded on a rainy day, and my feet were wet from stepping in a puddle in the parking lot, so I wasn’t in the best mood myself. It really hurt my feelings. I told her so, and she stormed off. I think she owes me an apology. I don’t know if I should call her and say so or what.
Is there something I should do about this bad situation? We usually love going shopping together. I miss it.
—Mystified at the Co-op
Dear Mystified,
Fifty years! Wow. That’s like what, seven dog years? My best friend, Koda, is 11, and lately he’s been pretty cranky. I think his bones are starting to hurt. If he gets jostled, especially by a smaller dog he’s not allowed to bite, and especially on a rainy day, he just turns and bites me instead. We’re friends, so I guess he thinks I’ll understand. If the Co-op was crowded, there may have been some uncomfortable jostling involved while you were checking out the tomatoes. It happens. If someone has problems with their bones on a rainy day, that can get very painful. Maybe you have some experience feeling badly on wet days that can help you relate.
What I do with Koda is just leave him alone for a spell. After awhile, he shows up, kind of shamefaced, and suggests we go for a wallow together. I always bark an enthusiastic “yes.”
I’d wait and see if your friend comes back and acts like nothing happened. Even if she doesn’t apologize. Mind you, most people you wouldn’t let get away with it. I wouldn’t let anyone but Koda bite me without some pretty strong riposte. But 50 years is 50 years. And I bet it’s as much fun to go with your best friend to the Co-op, at least on a day when it’s not so crowded and wet and uncomfortable, as it is for me and Koda to wallow together in the mud at the bottom of the creek that runs past the dog park.
If it is, you’re both lucky to have each other.
Don’t you think?
Need advice from a dog about town? Email askstrider@ashland.news.
