Wanderlust

Revenge on the Razeccas

Some of you may remember a certain incident this past fall involving Timber, Miles, a collie and a very irrationally, foaming at the mouth, irrate owner with a broken leash. Just a few weeks ago, we spotted the collie and owner as we embarked out of the garage for an evening walk, hustling his dog across the street as if he expected ravenous, bloody tongued beasts to come streaking out of the yawning mouth of our garage and tear into his dog's carcass with glee. I didn't realize at first what the situation was until I recognized the crazed owner, HOLDING his forty or so adult pounds of collie like a little poodle while he veered all the way across the street to avoid us. Chuckling to myself, I put the stroller in power step mode and proceeded to follow him like an avenging stalker.

I walked in his nervous wake all the way to his front door, on a cul-de-sac that I walk the dogs down nearly every day. There were tiles gracing the front wall of their terra cotta house- "Razecca." George and I discussed all the various ways we could enjoy this new found knowledge- sending holiday postcards, encouraging the dogs to poop on his lawn, and stalking his every walk until he cowered at home in fear of our vicious labradors.

Our revenge came soon enough- last evening in fact. I was on the second round of my jaunt with Timber in tow as I turned down Mr. Razecca's cul-de-sac. If I had been drinking liquid, the sound that would have come out of my mouth then could only be described as a chortle of satisfaction. For there was Mr. Razecca, calmly wheeling his trash bin out the curb for tomorrow's pickup, collie in tow. UNLEASHED.

As Timber and I approached, the collie began to bark. Timber, to his credit, although he pulled, didn't make a sound. Then the collie left Mr. Razecca's side and began to approach to hassle us. An unleashed dog- a menace to society, off of his own property and barking at a defenseless woman and baby with a LEASHED dog! I was clearly in the right here. Mr Razecca struggled to control his barking, unleashed canine. And right before I turned my back on him and walked away, I said cooly-

"You know, you should really have that dog on a leash."