A year or two ago, the building in which I live started allowing dogs. It had always kind of turned a blind eye to cats (partially because the building manager has one herself), but didn't allow the other four-legged pet persuasion. I was grateful to this. While neither a dog-lover or hater I be, the sound of a barking dog is not something I miss. I had enough of that where I lived in Pittsburgh.
But, so the story goes, a young couple moved into the building. He was in the military and deployed around the world a lot, and she lived alone while he was gone and wanted to have her dog, a Jack Russell terrier, with her. Supposedly if you have a paper signed by a doctor that states that you need your dog for health reasons, including state of mind, our building would allow it. But like everything else in this world, once we had one dog, the gates were open to more. And more. And, of course, more.
That first dog always tried to take a piece out of me every time I saw him, which turned out to be often. He lived on my floor and I had the uncanny knack for heading for the elevator around the same time he was going out for a walk or returning from one. He would always lunge at me, and although a relatively little dog, I still really didn't want to be bitten. I'm funny like that.
I think that couple and the dog moved away. At least I don't see them very often. It doesn't matter, because now I have a new dog to contend with. My neighbors a few doors down have one, and it's an older dog. This dog seems to bark at EVERYTHING. People, cars, parking meters, curbs...everything. On the days when I'm home and they're out, I can hear the dog barking, two doors down, with everything closed up. I suppose heit could be honing his karaoke skills or calling into talk radio (undoubtedly Rush Limbaugh...he looks like a Republican dog), but I doubt it.
I think older dogs are a bit like older humans. They're cranky and volatile and there's almost always a "hey you kids get off my lawn" kind of mentality, only not just reserved for those pesky children playing football in the street. This dog is like that. I do feel a bit sorry for it, but the barking is a bit much. I've gotten to the point where I refuse to ride the elevator with it, since it barks the entire time. I can tell every time they take it for a walk, because I can hear it barking in the hall when it leaves, on the street when they get outside, and again when they walk past my place.
If anything, there's a bit of a silver lining in the whole dog in the building policy, at least for the building owners. They get to charge more if you have one. There is a weight limit (I think it's less than 35 pounds), but there's also a monthly fee, like doggy rent, if you will. All I can say is if I had a dog and they charged me more for rent each month, the dog would be responsible for paying that increase. He'd have to get a job. Something simple, like delivering papers each morning, or dish-washing, or, in the case of a dog, more than likely dish-licking.
The silver lining for us tenants? Well, some people really like their doggies, so that's nice. I myself have come across a couple of dainty little piles of poop, in both the hall and elevator, but only once or twice. It's not exactly what I'd call "silver," but I am grateful there's a weight limit to how big a dog they'll allow in the building, if you know what I'm saying...
