Pet peeve

I have developed a new pet peeve. Unleashed dogs. Amazingly, I am coordinated enough to manage a baby in a stroller and a dog on a leash while walking or jogging. However, when a random dog comes shooting out of a yard at us, that is a bit much to handle. Cammy, who is typically quite spectacular on-leash, goes nuts and I am trying to keep her away from the other dog while not tipping Ella over or injuring any of us. This happened THREE times on our walk/jog today alone, not to mention the out-of-control Doberman that dragged an 11-year-old across the street, through our front lawn and partway onto our front deck the other night. That was nice. Me with a baby in a jogging stroller and 50 pounds of protective/curious muscle on a leash. Anyway...

One of our neighbors is guilty of this. She has some fluffy black something-or-other that probably weighs 4 pounds and is never, ever on a leash. It darts here and there while she (a 60-ish year-old) bounces behind it, looking as if she thinks this whole deal is cute. "Come heeeere, Misty!" (Seriously... Misty.) We have a boxer. Cammy is gentle and sweet, puts up with Ella molesting her tail and poking her eyes, but she has a bad reputation on sight because she is muscular and has jowls. So as I juggle her, the stroller and the other dog, and the owners of said mongrel apologize weakly for nearly causing me a broken leg, I feel their stares, "That dog had better not bite my fluffy-wuffy Shmoopie".

The next time a Shmoopie runs across my path, the owner may well get an earful from me.