Grumpy Pekinese Crossing

Yesterday around 5:30, we were on our way back from grocery shopping. Suddenly Alan slammed on brakes to avoid mushing this Pekinese dog standing in the middle of the road! Groceries flew about and Alan was hit in the back by some Tide Free with Bleach Alternative. And some rolls, but that didn't hurt as much. The dog stood there in the middle of the road, watching our approach unmoving, giving us this dirty look. He was standing a little to the right of the center line, staring at us like we had some nerve. It's a country road, not a highway or anything, but there are lots of houses and churches, so a good bit of traffic. Alan pulled over so I could try to get the woofer out of the road, turning on his flashers.

I got out and called, "C'mere doggy! C'mere little fellow!" but he only stood there, glaring at me balefully. A car with two young women in it approached from the same direction as us, saw what was going on and stopped, turning their flashers on. A spiffy red Corvette (newer than mine) came flying up but was able to get stopped behind the women. The whole time, I'm calling the doggy, trying to coax him out of the road. He's not moving. I walked nearer, figuring maybe I'd spook him into running away from me, to safety on the opposite side. Alan had by now walked into the lane going in the opposite direction and had halted a redneck in a pickup truck, pulling a trailer full of crap. The redneck didn't seem nearly as sympathetic to the dog's plight as the girls did. He was probably sitting in his truck bitching, "Damn stupid piece of fluff lap dawg! Expensive AND stupid as a rock! Give me a POUND DAWG any day!" and getting mad at me keeping him from getting home to his woman Starla, who was waiting at the trailer with some Bud on ice.

The Pekinese wasn't moving. I kept calling him as I moved closer but he didn't react, unless you count stepping up the menace in his glare. I approached and tried to shoo him over to the curb. He glared at me with hatred. I reached down to pick him up, which FINALLY got a reaction: he turned his head and snapped at me. I wasn't pleased that he'd tried to bite me - after all, I was trying to keep his carcass from getting smeared across Smyrna Road - but hey, at last he's showed evidence of animation! I drove the reluctant, displeased Pekinese to safety in a yard by reaching for him like I was going to pick him up and yanking my hand back before he could bite me. Lunge by lunge, I got him herded to a driveway where I hope he belonged. Of course, with my luck I herded him to safety on the wrong side of the road and 10 minutes after we left, he got flattened by a semi when he tried to cross to his own house - but at least I tried to do a good deed.

Walking back to the car, I called, "Thank you!" to the two women who'd blocked off one lane. They waved at me and smiled, so I know they understood what was going on. Redneck Guy just gunned it and shot past; I'd held him up long enough. Corvette Guy turned into the subdivision where we'd pulled over, but he didn't give me the finger or anything so I guess he was okay with the rescue attempt. The Pekinese stood in the driveway, glaring malevolently like I hadn't just saved his fuzzy life. Ingrate.