11/22/09 Dogs

Today was an annual event I've attended almost every year since 1993, a pancake breakfast our friends put on before the motorcycle show. I love this event; the host and hostess are longtime friends and it's such a relaxed fun way to catch up with our old moto-friends.

Dave and Julian had to stay at home though. Julian had a temperature yesterday, and I thought he was over it last night. But he woke up in the middle of the night and cried out for me. He had a very strange-sounding cough and a temperature again. After some attention he went back to sleep, but we decided against bringing him to someone's home with a roomful of people.

So I took just Gabriel and Katrina to the pancake breakfast.

The instant we walked in the door, even before saying hellos, two friendly little daschund mix dogs trotted happily up to us....SHRIEK!!! Katrina was terrified and screamed in a panic. Unfortunately, that meant right away that those dogs had to go outside.

It took a long time, but I finally got her settled down and eating a pancake, until another couple arrived with their boisterous standard poodle dog -- much larger. FREAKOUT again. Another 20 minutes of close holding and comforting before Katrina would let me put her down.

I came prepared with crayons and some pages to color, and was able to get Katrina settled drawing so I could socialize and maybe have a pancake or two.

But one of the little dogs got back inside, and as soon as Katrina spotted the dog from across the room, she froze the room with her screams of terror. Sorry dog, gotta go -- there was just no question at all, they could not coexist for even a second. I felt bad for the couples who'd brought the dogs, but unfortunately, a panicking toddler can't be shooed into the backyard. The couple hosting this event also have a dog, a mellow 13-year-old, but that dog was already outside.

Fortunately, our dear friend Linda took pity on me and helped get Katrina settled with the drawing.


Katrina even let Linda hold her, which she rarely does for anyone she doesn't know. Katrina is a very good judge of character; Linda is a very cool lady. A talented photographer, a levelheaded kind person. (Standing next to her in this photo is our longtime friend Kevin, whose new wife Angela was a fixup by Linda -- and then Linda was the officiant at their wedding!)


There was more sporadic contact with the dogs, each incident of which was met with increasing fear and screaming from Katrina. If a dog was even standing at the back door, I couldn't put her down. I don't know what her deal was; she was never afraid of dogs before.

Meantime, where was Gabriel? He spent almost the entire pancake breakfast outside in the backyard, playing happily with four banished dogs.

11/22/09