[Leica] dog park...

[jbm at jbm.org (Jeff Moore)]

2010-03-06-18:47:04 Mark Rabiner:
> People should not be allowed in a dog park without a ball.
> Or a pocket filled with milk bones.

Once again, even though it's not even about M8s or bulky but
super-excellent fast lenses, I find myself forced to disagree with my
semi-neighbor (just across a river) the estimable Mr. Rabiner.

Ted, the dog who lives in our house, is a really social sort who
usually wants to meet and romp with the people and other dogs who
habituate the local run.  But if somebody'd brought a damned ball --
Ted focuses on that ball with laserish fixity, and loses all interest
in any person, canine or activity unrelated to getting and keeping the
ball.  He's no fun anymore.  We pretty much have to leave and come
back when the ball isn't there.

If we arrive at the dog run alone, and someone's left a ball lying
there, the very first thing I do is try to pick it up before Ted gets
to it, and throw it into the trash can outside the run.  Then (after a
short time staring theough the fence at the garbage can) Ted gets his
personality back.

And it's also a little creepy for strangers to feed our dog things.

 -J