Dogs and Neighbors - Slice of Life Challenge, March 14, 2018

March 14, 2018

I am generally not a great neighbor. I live alone with my dog, and, while I try to be friendly, I'm not super outgoing. I've chatted with the grown daughter of the neighbor to the right of me, had a little conversation with a neighbor across the street, and occasionally smile if I pass others. But I don't know them, and they don't know me.

To be fair, none of them have made an effort, either. I would help them out if I could.

In any case, a few weeks ago, I was about to go for a run and the woman who lives to my left was coming back from a walk with her dog. The dog started barking and yipping at me and wouldn't move along with her. Since I was waiting for them to pass, the dog wanted to see me, and I knew it wasn't really a scary dog, I asked if it was a nice dog.

My neighbor said "Yes, but we're trying to get her to stop jumping up on people." We exchanged a few more pleasantries about dogs and then she went along and I went on my run.

Now, these neighbors have lived to my left for maybe 2 years now. It's a young couple, but they've really kept to themselves and so have I. I noticed when they got their dog, some sort of Staffordshire terrier or pit bull mix, because I have a clear view to their backyard from my TV room. My dog also noticed it. Recently, they've also had a doberman around, so I asked her if they got another dog. They didn't; they were watching it for a friend.

This was a few weeks ago. Today, I let my dog out and heard a deep-throated bark. My dog couldn't really figure out where it came from, as he's recovering from a middle ear infection and he's a bit off. All of a sudden I heard a voice.

It was the husband of the woman I had talked to a few weeks ago.

"She knows he's here, but he doesn't seem to notice her." (He was referring to his dog and my dog).

Then he double-checked the gender of my dog, to be sure. I told him Arlo was a boy but that he had been sick recently, so his bark was quiet and he was a bit off, still. He mentioned his dog had been sick, too. They took her to a doggie daycare for the weekend, and she was having stomach issues since then. She's on medicine now. We talked a little about the different reasons dogs get stomach issues and then I went inside, wishing him a good night.

This isn't a bit story, a life-changing story, or really that notable, in general. The reason I'm writing is to just take a moment to recognize the role my dog (and a lot of our pets) play in our lives - helping start a relationship, break the ice, maybe introduce some neighbors to each other. I've never talked to my neighbors before, but I love dogs, and so do they. It's a good start to being a better neighbor.