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As long suffering readers of these Tuesday musings will allow, nothing gives me greater pleasure than my morning perambulations with my 35-pound outrageous ball of fluff terrier mix. Langley never met a stranger. He unabashedly engages with any and every dog he chances upon. His entire quivering body exudes, “Wanna frolic”? Invariably a rough-and-tumble game of chase ensues. Langley can change direction three times in under a second. When he and his new playmate have romped themselves into oblivion, they lie exhausted on their backs–contentedly chomping on one another’s heads.
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What could be more joyful then watching canine exuberance? When could there be a better time for me to disengage from my quotidian roles? Couldn’t I just turn off the “monkey chatter” in my brain and revel in the spectacle of unbridled speed and frolic? Langley certainly seems unencumbered by unwanted thoughts. He seems able to focus exclusively on instantaneously transporting himself out of the way so that pursuing dogs crash resoundingly into fences.
Attached to the other end of the leash yesterday morning was a thirty-something woman. Of course we got to chatting as our dogs gamboled at light speed across the open field.
“I have another dog at home,” she mentioned. “He just turned 93, so he can’t run as much anymore.”
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“Ninety-one,” I blurted out. She stared at me blankly. I stumbled on. “93 is not a multiple of seven. Seven dog years times 13 years would be 91. Not 93.”
“Nobody likes the math thing” as my younger daughter has frequently reminded me. Why can’t I just enjoy a Chelsea Morning rather than instructing a stranger on the seven times tables?
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I have enough social skills not to point out an unattractive outfit. Why is it that I have no filters when it comes to arithmetic errors?
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Like my neighbor, your children would probably appreciate an occasional break from correction and instruction. Yes, they need to know when to use who and whom. But no, they probably don’t need to know the difference between nominative and objective case pronouns today.
By focusing on the relationship rather than the academics, your children are more likely to be open to listening to you about that which is important: your knowledge, your values, your beliefs–and, when the time is right, the seven times tables.
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In the meantime, Langley has forgiven my social gaffe and I’m going to forgive myself as well. Tomorrow, I’m just going to revel in the accelerating shimmering dogs as they speed by in all directions at once. I’m going to avoid doing the math thing until at least noon.
7 thoughts on “Dog Days”
As a friend of David’s who has had the privilege of meeting Langley in person, I can attest to the absolute truth of David’s description of the gentleman at issue. I can assure all of you that Langley will never lack for affection and appreciation for his extreme athletic prowess.
To David and all who love dogs, I commend to you the following You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/SJoE_lNQdHU On my computer, at the end of that video a treasure trove of wonderful pet videos appears.
I am waiting for David to give us all the benefit of witnessing Langley’s exploits by posting a You Tube video of this canine performer.
Awesome!! Annoying when we go to Little Professor mode instead of “Wow! Isn’t that amazing!” mode. A good reminder for all of us – even those like me who are horrid at grammar – but annoying at other corrections. Mine is easy to find – all I have to do is listen to my husband say “Turn it off Freud!” and I know my education and love of psychology and human behavior is on over drive.
Thanks for the reminder!!
Thank You for the fun and advice!
I won’t speculate that she was exercising the requisite precision in her calculation that her 11 years, 1 month dog would be 93 in dog years. No you just couldn’t let it go. A good lesson. How old is Langley? And is that dog on the couch Langley? Doesn’t look to be 35 lbs…
OK so how many pedantic knowitalls have failed the module by pointing out to you that 93 isn’t prime?
About half a dozen thoughtful readers were gracious enough to point out that 93 is not a prime number. Of course, “93 is not a multiple of seven” is what this embarrassed author obviously meant to say.
Thank you, Fred, for keeping me honest.
I would agree for focusing on building relationships. I believe that dogs care for their owners too. I’ve noticed that as we also have the dog in our house. The more you give better treatment, the more he’ll give it back to you. That’s how they show their love.