[Grant]

Barking? Poop? These are inconveniences. Allow me to share a scary story from this past summer:

I have two dogs -- golden retrievers. They don't bark, but they do poop. And, yes, I pick it up.

Well, I was taking them on their daily jaunt up the road -- as I've done with these and other dogs for years. Let's just say I walk this road every day that I'm at the Lake -- sometimes 2-3-4x a day. I've done so since the 1960s.

Well, this time, there's a rather large, obviously nasty shepherd-retriever mix BOLTING toward us -- teeth bare, heckles WAY up, head low, tail down. My dogs' first reaction is, "Yeah! Play time with new friend!"

WRONG.

With two retractable leashes in hand, I could not readily pick up a branch or rock to hit the attacker. He circled us, trying to get in closer, as I tried to insert myself between "it" and my dogs -- all the while, yelling at it to go home.

"Home" for the aggressor was a rented year-round property along the road (obviously a multiple-family unit these days, judging from the number of electric meters). The woman there, who had knowlingly left this NASTY dog outside without a leash or run, was making a futile attempt to call the dog back.

After about five minutes of the stand-off, I managed to wrangle both leashes into one hand, grope the ground for a suitably imposing limb, and take a few swings at the attacker. This, along with my own growls and the idiot woman's attempts to recall the dog, convinced it that this was not a fight worth pursuing.

I took my dogs immediately home, and went to town to find a good tube of pepper spray. Fortunately, my string of profanity apparently impacted her future leash decisions, because i didn't see the dog out again on subsequent passes up the road (all of which were done in the truck). I went armed on future walks and runs.

Beware: Even in the country, leaving your dog off leash is FOOLISH and irresponsible. Cars, pedestrians, porcupines (!), coyotes...you name it...the hazards are numerous. And, had I come across this dog again, I wouldn't think twice about denting his skull with a nice chunk of Winnipesaukee granite or emptying a can of spray into his eyes. And I'm a bona fide dog lover. Others may not be as tolerant -- and may not be as tolerant of far lesser offenses.

Dog ownership, like parenthood, is a responsibility.