Monday, May 23, 2011

Close Encounters of the Ithacan Kind

Our daily walks provide Queezle and I with an opportunity to see and sometimes interact with a wide variety of people. Here are a couple of my favorites from the past month or so.

One day in the park, a man came up to me and asked if Queezle was a Belgian Tervuren. Why yes! It isn't often that people know what a Terv is. Turns out his parents have a Terv from Tacara Kennels in Oklahoma!

Walking home from the park one day, we encountered a large family on the sidewalk. Two little boys came running up to ask if the could pet Queezle. Their first question was typical of kids who meet Queezle - Is she a wolf? Nope, sorry guys. But their next question was a surprise - How much does she shed? I don't think of that as something little boys think about! Their mother laughed and said they had been asking that about every dog they met.

After a walk on the Slope, we were crossing the road near home when a car pulled up and stopped. The guy asked what kind of dog Queezle was, and then said, "What a gorgeous coat. She'd make a great rug!" and drove off.

Today in the park one of the fishermen came over to see Queezle. Turns out he has a Gordon Setter mix and does a lot of hunting, which led to a conversation about versatile dogs, shelters, designer breeds, herding and tracking.

Never a dull moment!