Are you going to clean that up?

I don't know how many times I get asked that and other questions about my dog. I don't mind the occasional question but the answer should be obvious when I have a bag over my hand watching Caineal and waiting for her to be done doing her business. Yes, I clean up her poo. I don't like stepping in dog shit any more than the next person. Seriously, though, I get asked if I clean up after her when we are just out walking. People somehow feel that they have right to drill dog owners here. I would never think of just randomly coming up and asking a person if they pick up their dog's mess. They aren't nice about it either. Their tone is interrogational, like they are daring me to say no so that they can yell at me.

I have also been asked if I was going to clean up her pee. I actually had a guy yell at me from across a street one day that I wasn't cleaning up the pee. I have since changed our walking route (there aren't trees very close by on that route). I don't clean up her pee because I haven't thought of a good way to do it and think that the rain washes it away and she usually pees on trees so it becomes fertilizer for the ground. Besides, it blends in with the vomit, human pee, and all the stray dogs' urine. Oh, and the grease from the late night hotdog stands. Yep, they drop a lot of that because Caineal stops to smell the corner where the stand is by us whenever we walk by it. She sometimes tries to lick the concrete but I don't let her.

Where I usually walk her, because there are lots of trees along the street and few people, is near a taxi rank. At least once a week one taxi driver will roll down his window when he sees us and wait for us to walk by his car and then ask a question. One asked if I had a license for Caineal. Usually they just ask if I clean up after her.

I am also surprised at the number of people who appear to be afraid of dogs. Some people will cross the street when they see us and we get a lot of "eww" looks and some dirty looks. Few people ask to pet her or look at us nicely. Yesterday a lady did, though. She looked sadly at Caineal (she was limping a lot) and then smiled at me and looked back at her. She looked like she wanted to ask me something but didn't. A girl also asked her mom why my dog was limping. Nobody answered her. By the time I had processed what she said, it was too late for me to answer. I wasn't really paying attention because I was watching her walk and trying to get out my keys since we were almost home. And her accent was a bit different than what I am used to hearing.

While I am on a tirade, people are rude in other ways, too. The other day when J and I were walking home from the pub, this guy starting yelling things from across the street at/to us about Bush. There is definitely some anti-American sentiment here. Most people are just curious but I have encountered some who judge me based on my accent. I know that is everywhere and a part of life. Sometimes it just gets tiring to explain that I didn't vote for Bush and why I think that he got elected. I don't agree with many of his policies but I do think that he is effective at reaching and identifying with the "everyman."

On a happier note, today I should get a new oven. I am waiting for the delivery/installation people to come "before lunch."