Just got back from the grocery story. While there I witnessed one of those human interactions that make you shake your head.
First, I probably should say that the store has multiple, very obvious signs posted that state that pets, especially dogs, are not allowed. It even has one of those pictures of a dog crossed out.
I arrived in the produce section just as a woman with a child politely told a woman with a dog that dogs aren’t allowed in the store.
Did I mention that the woman with the child was polite?
You’d never know it, ’cause the woman with the dog IMMEDIATELY, and I mean IMMEDIATELY in all caps, began yelling, “Why are you attacking me! Leave me alone. Get away from me. I don’t know you. Don’t talk to me.” And then a stream of words came out of her mouth that would make a sailor blush. It was not at all subtle. I’m sure everyone in the store heard it.
To understand why this scenario struck me as…well…weird, I should give a short description of the participants.
Woman with 9-year-old boy: Maybe 5’2″, hair pulled back out of her face, lanyard with a badge around her neck, business casual attire, mid-forties.
Woman with Chihuahua: Nearly 6 feet tall, long brown hair with bangs, dressed in fishnet stockings, short shorts, late twenties.
See why it seems so odd? The dog-woman reacted as if she were in being attacked and in physical danger. She yelled, she screamed, she accused, she did all the appropriate things to let everyone know that she feared for her life.
But she could not have been afraid of a woman half her size and twice her age.
Maybe she had had a bad day and was angry at the world.
Or maybe she was several cards short of a full deck.
I just don’t know. She took her little dog and headed for the dairy section and I never saw her again.
What I do know is that dog-woman’s response was overblown, vulgar, and totally ludicrous.
I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t the first time she’s acted in this manner. It came too easy for her. She didn’t even look embarrassed.
Which makes me assume it’s probably her normal way of getting what she wants.
Hey, if it works for a two-year-old…
Temper tantrum, anyone?