On Not Minding My Own Business

Cross-posted from LiveJournal

My friend and I finished eating our Subway at the outdoor table on the corner, then wandered down the street, stopping to pat the gorgeous big dog tethered to the railings. His tongue was hanging out and he was panting hard.

'He's thirsty,' said my friend. 'Sometimes the shops put water out for the dogs, but I don't see any here.' I remembered the newsletter i'd just got from the vet, pointing out signs of heat distress to watch for in pets.

'His owner will probably come back in a minute and give him a drink,' she said, and walked on. But I saw no sign of any nearby owner, and wondered how long it might take.

'I'm just going to duck into the hardware shop,' I said, so we parted and she went on her way. I asked if the shop had some kind of dog bowl. I explained the situation, saying,

'I might be an interfering busybody, but I don't care.'

I was shown a hard plastic bowl for $2, not a dog bowl, more like a small serving bowl of some kind, but it would do. Then I went into Subway and bought Spring water.

I set the bowl down by the dog, poured in all the water, patted him and showed it to him. He wrinkled his forehead at me, looking puzzled, and made no move to drink. Perhaps he had been taught not to accept food or drink from strangers? I left him, thinking that if he got thirsty enough he'd figure it out. As I was walking back to my car on the other side of the road, I saw a man come along, untether him, and sit down at the the outdoor Subway table, where a woman joined him.

I felt like a bit of a fool, being down to my last few dollars and all — but I knew that if I had gone away without doing what I did, I would not have seen the dog's owner return and I'd have been worrying for a long time afterwards about the thirsty animal.

Later that afternoon I had to go back to town, so I checked on the bowl. It was still there, half empty. So some other dog must have benefited!  I poured out the remaining water and brought the bowl home. After all, I did pay for it. I gave it a wash and put it away. It will make a nice little salad bowl when I eat alone, which is most of the time now that I'm single.

So — was it stupid of me? Was it officious of me? Probably, but I still don't care. What if the owner had come back in time to find me pouring the water? (As it was, he didn't seem to notice that it was there.) Would he have felt offended? Maybe ... but I wasn't to know how long he'd be.

The dog looked beautifully kept and very healthy, now that I come to think of it, so perhaps I might have guessed that he had a caring owner. Still, I'm kinda pleased with myself for doing what felt right to me, regardless of what anyone might think.


Comments from LiveJournal:

Date: 2014-02-08 07:45 pm (UTC)

From: mount-oregano
You did the right thing, and the kind thing. Be proud of yourself.
From: snakypoet
Thanks for the validation. :)

From: metahara.livejournal.com 
I agree, you did right ~
From: snakypoet Thanks to you too, dear!