Dogs at the Farmer's Market...a Corvallis Conversation...

I own 3 HUGE dogs! Each weigh over 100 pounds and they are goofy, loving, slobbery boys. I don't take them downtown in order to entertain myself. Yep, they pretty much stick to our property, the field beside our house, and adventures out to Peavy Arboretum, where they run, swim, and act like....dogs!
I am a victim of a vicious dog bite. In 1994, a Great Dane lunged for my throat as I walked on a sidewalk near CHS in Corvallis. I threw my arm up just in time for the dog to chomp down on my humerus. The dog's canines ripped through my skin, leaving 2 5-inch gashes. that are beautiful scars today. The dog's smaller incisors pinched and tore the skin just above the inside of my elbow. The force of the dog's bite almost broke my arm, leaving me with a tremendous black bruise that lasted more than 8 weeks. My arm swelled and I was unable to wear anything with sleeves for more than a month! The dog was destroyed by the Corvallis Police Department, due to the fact that it had a record of previous bites which would have required the owner carry a $150,000 insurance policy, which he couldn't afford, so death was the only option. It's shots hadn't been updated in years, which meant I had to go through a routine of antibiotics, for prevention. It was tragic to see the dog die. However, I really don't give a shit. My daughter was only 4 at that time and it would have been her face he bit off, had she been his victim.

I love dogs...but I hate when people put me in a position of fear or irritation when they inflict their dogs upon me in public places. I feel funny saying that I am sometimes now afraid when unfamiliar big dogs approach me. I have that "moment" of hesitation that drives me insane!

I am on the side of those folks who feel that our Farmer's Market on Saturdays really isn't a place for dogs. Dogs do not shop for organic, fresh produce. Dogs sniff crotches, poop, and snarl at other dogs. For those who state, "By taking my dog to the Farmer's Market, I'm giving him a chance to socialize."Bah, hum bug. You've got a fricken dog. Take it running in a field. Invite people over to your house to teach your dog to say, "Hello." Don't bring him downtown to walk on the sidewalk and get the attention you must crave, hoping someone says, "Oh, look at that ugly dog. Isn't he funny?" I want to buy my veggies without a cold nose next to my butt...