It's There If You Look

I dunno.

I'm getting pretty long in the tooth, and in all my years can't remember meeting a dog I didn't like. I've been disinterested in one or two, and annoyed by some. But I've never known a dog who made me wince and look away, hoping for him to be gone when I looked back.

Until Roger.

One phenomemon of an invisble fence is how it holds your dogs inside, while granting access to any creature who randomly happens along. Roger lives up the hill from us. And every few days he swings by to remind me what a bad person I am because I can't find a place in my heart for him.

It's not because he lifts his leg on every vertical structure made by man or nature. It's not because he--well, I'll just say it--empties his bowels in at least three spots during his 2-minute visit (as shown here, in flagrante delicto). It's not even because when he spots a dog toy in the yard he snatches it in his slobbering maw and bolts back up the hill to his house. (Next we'll look to his people, who, sitting on a mound of ill-gotten squeaky piggies, haven't had to buy Roger a toy since 2007.)

Truth be told, his eccentric stunts make for prime cocktail hour fodder, so it's not Roger's behaviour I take issue with. It's his--attitude. I mean, look into this dog's eyes. Where I feel I should see some sign of "Oops! Busted!" I get only "Yeah, so I'm defiling your iris bed--and your problem is?"

That's the way he carries himself on every tour through our yard, oblivious to Gracie and Rose who run to tend to him. They neither slow his pace nor hasten his escape. Roger moves on Roger Time.

That said, if I'm completely honest with myself, my (non) relationship with Roger taps into one of my great weaknesses. I'm a person who loves to love and be loved. So Roger's apathy toward me is like realizing your sock has a hole in it inside of your shoe--it won't ruin your time at the party, but you can't stop thinking about it, either.

I'm sure Roger has redeeming qualities once you get to know him--if anyone ever gets to know him. So today I'm going to write down the names of three other people in my life that I have problems with, and beside each name I'll note one of their positive attributes.