DOG WALKING

This week I was downstairs going to my bank when I saw a lady and her very large dog. I’m not sure what breed it was but it was large, like approaching a small pony size. Despite its size, it’s didn’t seem scary or intimidating, it was just a big dog.

As I was walking towards the bank, I saw the lady and the dog approach the bottom of an escalator. The lady wanted her dog to go on the escalator with her but the dog, stopped walking and just looked at the moving steps with trepidation. She was quite patient though and she spoke to the dog with encouraging words. Still, the dog held firm and even let out a single bark to let her know he wasn’t really wanting to do this.

By this time, I had walked out of view of this spectacle and I soon entered the bank, amused at what I had just seen. It took me a few minutes to deposit my lemonade stand money. Once that was done, I walked out of the bank, to retrace my steps to get back home. I quickly saw the lady and her dog in the exact same place. The dog still had not mustered up the courage to go on the escalator and the lady was still trying to encourage it to give it a try.

I didn’t have time to witness the outcome of this because I had to get home to make some dinner. I wonder what did happen in the end.

Upon reflection, I totally understand the hesitation on the part of the dog. Every person needs to learn how to get on an escalator. As a kid, I remember it being tricky and I got really nervous the first few times. As humans, we only need to worry about getting our two feet coordinated enough to get on the escalator steps. A dog has to navigate four feet onto the escalator. Also, it’s extra complicated because each set of feet need to be on separate steps.

I hope the dog figured it out.