Warning, there are some bad cuss words coming your way if you choose to read this. You’ve been warned.
Two weeks ago we had an encounter with a neighbor I’m calling Mr. Grouchy Pants.
Okay, technically he’s not my immediate neighbor (he lives two streets down.)
Okay and maybe, just maybe he wasn’t exactly grouchy, but our encounter left me feeling very disgruntled.
Here’s what happened.
I went home at lunch to take Sampson and Delilah for their walk. My boss was gone so I figured I could take a few extra minutes and walk the dogs around the block. Plus it was a lovely day and I didn’t want to go back to work. 🙂
We approach this house and I notice the garage door is open and I hear a car start up. I surmise a person is backing out of the driveway so I move the dogs off to the side so the person can back out.
The road is cold and hard, a nice bit of grass to sit on would be nice.
Mr. Grouchy Pants (humor me, okay?) is facing us on the road and motions for me to walk forward.
I smile and shake my head and use my hand to motion him to go first. In retrospect if I knew what was coming I would have made a different hand motion, but I was clueless.
So Mr. Grouchy Pants pulls forward and stops next to me. Thankfully I had the good sense to tighten Sampson’s leash as he has a tendency to want to jump up on cars to say hello. Delilah having received her treat is sitting patiently on the grass.
Mr. Grouchy Pants rolls down his window and says, “What’s going on?”
I smile, shake my head and reply, “Nothing.”
The Mr. Grouchy Pants says, “Well I don’t like the dogs on my lawn.”
I very politely say, “I’m sorry. I stopped them so you could back out of your driveway.”
“Oh, okay.” He responds and drives off.
I couldn’t believe it. I’m shocked. Stunned. Hurt. I won’t lie. I cried. I felt like he had slapped me.
First, my dogs were just sitting there. They weren’t tearing his lawn up and they certainly weren’t pooping there.
Second, we have no sidewalks in our neighborhood and so the town has about five feet on each lawn (give or take) for a right of way. I’m assuming this is in case they decide to install sidewalks. So technically my dogs weren’t on HIS lawn.
Then I got pissed and thought, what I should have said was, “Oh I’m sorry, I stopped the dogs so YOU could back up, but don’t worry, that won’t happen again. The next time you can hit me you grouchy old fuck and then I’ll sue your grumpy old ass and own your house and my dogs can stand wherever the fuck they want.”
And then I thought a whole bunch of other things. Like ways to make his life miserable, but then I remembered our friend Karma. She’s a real bitch. Besides who needs that negative Juju?
What do you think? Am I over reacting?
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Nope, not over-reacting. If the “grouchy old fuck” had been that way with me, I probably would’ve been just bitchy enough to tell him “my dogs aren’t on YOUR lawn, ASSHOLE; and for your information we were just waiting for you to back out of your driveway” and then walked away, ignoring whatever bullshit he spewed forth. Now, that’s over-reacting. But the grouch was over-reacting to Sampson and Delilah being on property that isn’t technically his. So there. Harrumph. Give the old fart a giant razz berry next time you pass his house.
Awe! I’m sorry! I would of been pissed, too!
So pleased to hear that it’s not just people I meet who are …(Insert your own name here) the other day I was pulling around a car in my car, and a cyclist appeared to stop to let me pass so being in an extremely good mood (not sure why) I decided to say thanks and so I flashed my lights and raised my hand. The …(again insert your own name) gave me the finger! I was so shocked, and sooooo mad. I was being nice and lovely and there was no need.
And of course you didn’t over-react. I think plotting to own his house because he is a grump is totally reasonable! ;0)
Ignore it we say. Some people are never happy unless they are miserable. Think of it this way, you are the lucky one not having to live with grouchy pants. Have a tremendous Thursday.
Best wishes Molly.
You did and said exactly the right thing. Overreacting after the fact – maybe. It must be awfully tempting to leave a poop bomb on that lawn, though….
Mom always takes it personally and gets upset when humans bark at us for something we didn’t mean to do or something like what happened to you. So many humans are just not nice.
Ugh! People who don’t like dogs are the worst Ive been asked by peole not to have my dogs go on the curb across from their buildings
retro rover
First, thanks for the warning. I sent Rudy out of the room 😉 So, um, this guy thought you were waiting so you could take your dogs up into his yard to poop or something? Must be something HE would do!
Next time your reply should be: “They aren’t on your lawn they are on the right of way. The city is nice enough to let you use it. Right now my dogs are using it.” 🙂 Old guys and their lawns….geesh.
My mom used to say to me whenever someone hurt my feelings was “Consider the source” – an obvious jab at the person to put it back on them…so I say – The guy’s an asshat…don’t let him spoil your walk.
Seattle is pretty dog friendly but I am aware that some people just don’t like your dog on their lawn period. When we are out on walks, I make every effort to keep them from walking on people’s lawns. We have sidewalks though. You didn’t have a choice.
As you said, technically you weren’t on his lawn. He’s the dumb asshat.
Some people are just crotchety. Must be really sad being him. I’m glad you’re not like him. Bring him some cookies. Take the dogs with you. Right up onto his porch.
I often overreact, and then I overreact again by questioning myself… but the other person probably has already forgotten about it. Hope you have a better day the next day!
Hi Jodi. I’m sorry that guy was mean to you. He is obviously not a dog lover. Probably not a people lover either. Let him shrivel up in his own miserable little world while you radiate in yours.
You reacted like i probably would have…and after say the same things…why did i. Blah blah blah.lol….you were being polite..he was being rude
No WONDER the poor guy is such a GROUCH… He obviously does Not share his life with a Dog… Which would have made him MUCH more MELLOW and HAPPY FELLA. He is to be PITIED.
That would have upset me too. Some people are very weird about their lawns. I once had an old man yell/speak sharply at me (and my 4 year old daughter) for walking our impossibly cute and fluffy Keeshond puppy on the SIDEWALK by his house. It was traumatic for me.
God, people are weird. I’d say just let it roll off you; there’s no sense agonizing over it and, if you’re lucky, you’ll never have a repeat.
Hi Y’all!
Some people! Really! Glad he’s not my neighbor! I think he needs a dog…but I wouldn’t want to be the dog!
Y’all come back now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Not at all. In fact, I think you demonstrated an amazing amount of reserve by not biting his freaking head off like a preying mantis. Some people, sheesh. But you’re right, Karma is a cruel mistress and no one needs that. With any kind of luck he had at least one flat tire down the road, but preferably two for being such a dick. 🙂
Ugh. I’m sorry. I hate being put in these types of situations – confrontation is definitely not my thing. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who cries in circumstances like these; I take everything super personally. I even cried once when someone gave me the finger while driving! I will never understand why people find it necessary to go out of their way and be rude. Especially to strangers!
My motto: Kill them with kindness. Others will probably say to be rude right back or put him in his place, but I’ve always found that being overly sweet to the jerks is kind of satisfying.
I had to LOL at what you thought of afterwards to say to that jerk….it would have been perfect. It’s too bad our mothers taught us to be so polite, and that’s always our first instinct!