On my walk Wednesday morning, I encountered a man who took multitasking to a whole new level.
The guy had put his left arm through the handle of a leash, at which end strained a full grown yellow lab/german shepherd mix. His right arm was also looped through the leash of another full grown yellow lab/german shepherd. He jerked hard at their leashes and ordered them to sit. It was all they could do to comply as the sights and smells of the glorious outdoors bombarded their senses. In his hands he grasped a high-end Nikon complete with zoom lens. He stood at the trail’s edge, attempting to shoot a picture of some bird up in the heavily shadowed trees against a dark gray sky. By the time he could lift the camera to his eye, the bird had flown to another tree, and the dogs were shifting their rumps to start to get to their feet.
Now successful bird watching and picture taking not only requires the right lighting conditions, the birder must also be as quiet and still as possible. However, this man had apparently decided he could beat the odds in spite of having none of this going for him. Heroically, he tried again to take a shot. If by some dumb luck, he finally locked on his bird, it eluded me how he was planning to keep the Nikon steady with two large canines hauling at his coordination.
Neither one of us got a chance to find out.
When the threesome heard my footsteps coming up behind them on the sidewalk, the lab/shepherd nearest me whirled around, growled deeply in his throat, and lunged at me. As the new center of everyone’s interest, I backed away from them and stood still, hoping this guy had a good grasp on his dogs. He yelled harshly at the lunger, jerked its leash hard, and smacked its face with the end.
Then as I continued on my way, he said to me, “Don’t worry, they’re friendly. They’re just a little jumpy this morning.” Hmm. And I’ll bet the man’s pictures will show the same focused care and loving discipline he gives his pets. Yeah, I’ll just bet.
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