Disturbance of the Peace
So much for the uneventful weekend I’d been hoping for! It all started this morning when I was out with the cats and a couple of kids came around and started bothering them. I told the kids to stop but they only stopped temporarily and then continued. Finally the white cat with the dark fluffy tail ran off behind our apartments and I followed to try to calm him down. Suddenly, from under my neighbors’ gate crawled a large black dog that proceeded to chase the cat. They ran back and forth until the cat ran up a tree and we were able to grab the dog. It turned out that the dog belongs to my neighbors’ niece. I didn’t think too much of the incident and went about my way.
I went to the post office afterwards and when I came back the kids were bothering the cats again. They couldn’t figure out why Garfield wouldn’t come out from under a car just because they wanted him to come out. I tried to explain to them that a cat will come to you if he likes and trusts you, and that if you try to grab a cat, he will scratch (and will have every right to do so). They didn’t quite seem to understand but they eventually left. I talked to Debbie and she said that she’s seen them too and has told them in the past to leave the cats alone. I wonder if they will ever learn, and I also wonder where their parents are and why they aren’t supervising their kids and providing them with more productive, meaningful activities.
The early part of the afternoon was peaceful enough and I went to the pool for a while, where I ran into Noshin, Arman and their father. We chatted for a while and I came home. Then Tim had to go to work so we left home at the same time and I headed to Target, where I wanted to look for a couple more shirts I could wear to work. When I came back, I found the black dog harassing Garfield again. I tried to get her to back away but she wouldn’t so instead I got her to follow me around behind the apartments to see if her owner was in her aunt and uncle’s backyard. I didn’t see her, but instead saw her cousin (my neighbors’ daughter). I asked her if that was her cousin’s dog and she said she didn’t know because she hadn’t met the dog yet. I described to her what had happened in the morning with the dog running out of her parents’ backyard, so she went to get her cousin and sure enough, it was the same dog from this morning. This time she wasn’t even wearing a collar. The cousin took the dog back into the apartment and my neighbors’ daughter (who also lives in this apartment complex) told her to keep the dog inside so she wouldn’t run away again. I then talked to her for a couple of hours and she explained to me that her cousin had showed up unannounced with this new dog and she didn’t know how long she was going to stay.
As I was heading back to my apartment to get food to feed the cats, I ran into Debbie’s daughter and talked to her for a few minutes. She asked me if I’d seen a black dog running around loose, and I told her that sure enough I had and proceeded to tell her my two experiences with the dog so far. Just then the girl came out of her aunt and uncle’s apartment and the dog was running loose once again. The cats that had been around scattered immediately, with most of them running under cars. One of them actually confronted the dog, who backed away some but then started chasing him. Debbie’s daughter and I were angry that the girl had let her dog loose like that since the cats live here and she doesn’t. I tried restraining the dog until the girl could come and get her and I told her that she needed to get a leash. She didn’t take that too well, and then when Debbie’s daughter told her the same thing more forcefully (but not rudely) the girl proceeded to call her a f***ing whore. I thought Debbie’s daughter would take her down right then and there. And I wouldn’t have blamed her. There was this girl, causing a disturbance, and then getting angry and calling people names when they pointed out something that she’s supposed to do not only by apartment regulations, but also by state law. Needless to say, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my system. I didn’t know at that point what would happen. The girl got her dog and stormed into the apartment. Debbie’s daughter was furious so she knocked on the door and my neighbor answered. He was apologetic, but we kept telling him that we knew it was not his fault. We did, however, want him to know exactly what had happened. I talked to him some more and his niece came out from the apartment and they exchanged a few words and he basically asked her to leave. She stormed off with her dog in her arms (rather awkwardly because it’s a large dog).
A bit later after that I was trying to regroup the cats, hoping that this time the dog situation was over. I finally met one of my neighbors whose dogs I see every day. He and his mother have a pit bull and a pit bull-lab mix. He had seen the black dog running around loose and was wondering what that was all about. I told him the brief version and he said he was thinking of calling security. The dog showed up yet again, and this time I had Garfield in my arms. The dog was circling around us and Garfield was getting really nervous because the dog wouldn’t stop. I don’t think the dog was being mean, but it had too much energy and was out of control. My neighbor offered me if I wanted to step into their apartment with Garfield till things calmed down. I gratefully accepted. I then met his mother and we told her about the situation. She was angry because she’s a responsible dog owner and doesn’t like people who let their dogs run loose with no control over them. I don’t either, and especially not when on top of being irresponsible they have such a bad attitude. She sent her son off to the security guard who stands outside our gate in the evenings but didn’t find him. She and I stood outside for a while and once again saw the girl. She was looking for her dog yet again. When she saw us she said in a rather annoyed tone something about us being the cat people who hate dogs. Boy, was she wrong, and my neighbor let her know it. Finally I went home, and brought Garfield inside for a short while until things calmed down a bit.
I then proceeded to spend a bit of time outside my front door, trying to coax some of the cats back with food and milk. Some of them came around and ate, but looked around nervously at the slightest rustling of leaves. Gradually they calmed down, and I calmed down too. I hope tomorrow will be a more peaceful day. And I hope I never have to see that girl again. I just don’t want to deal with unreasonable people who become so unpleasant without any provocation. After all, we pay rent here and have the right to expect a certain level of peace. She, on the other hand, does not pay rent here and has no right to disturb that peace. I’ve talked to my next door neighbor and he saw the dog running around too and agreed with me that that girl needed to leave.
I feel bad for that dog because having such an irresponsible owner, I wonder what will end up happening to her. She’s young and doesn’t respond to any commands and clearly never gets put on a leash. I hope she won’t run in front of a car one of these days. I have the feeling her owner wouldn’t even learn if that happened, and I don’t want the dog to suffer. I also don’t want to get my neighbors in trouble because their niece is being irresponsible and rude. They are nice people and I enjoy talking to them, and I also don’t want my relationship with them to get ruined because of this girl.
Perhaps tomorrow my uneventful weekend can begin.
I went to the post office afterwards and when I came back the kids were bothering the cats again. They couldn’t figure out why Garfield wouldn’t come out from under a car just because they wanted him to come out. I tried to explain to them that a cat will come to you if he likes and trusts you, and that if you try to grab a cat, he will scratch (and will have every right to do so). They didn’t quite seem to understand but they eventually left. I talked to Debbie and she said that she’s seen them too and has told them in the past to leave the cats alone. I wonder if they will ever learn, and I also wonder where their parents are and why they aren’t supervising their kids and providing them with more productive, meaningful activities.
The early part of the afternoon was peaceful enough and I went to the pool for a while, where I ran into Noshin, Arman and their father. We chatted for a while and I came home. Then Tim had to go to work so we left home at the same time and I headed to Target, where I wanted to look for a couple more shirts I could wear to work. When I came back, I found the black dog harassing Garfield again. I tried to get her to back away but she wouldn’t so instead I got her to follow me around behind the apartments to see if her owner was in her aunt and uncle’s backyard. I didn’t see her, but instead saw her cousin (my neighbors’ daughter). I asked her if that was her cousin’s dog and she said she didn’t know because she hadn’t met the dog yet. I described to her what had happened in the morning with the dog running out of her parents’ backyard, so she went to get her cousin and sure enough, it was the same dog from this morning. This time she wasn’t even wearing a collar. The cousin took the dog back into the apartment and my neighbors’ daughter (who also lives in this apartment complex) told her to keep the dog inside so she wouldn’t run away again. I then talked to her for a couple of hours and she explained to me that her cousin had showed up unannounced with this new dog and she didn’t know how long she was going to stay.
As I was heading back to my apartment to get food to feed the cats, I ran into Debbie’s daughter and talked to her for a few minutes. She asked me if I’d seen a black dog running around loose, and I told her that sure enough I had and proceeded to tell her my two experiences with the dog so far. Just then the girl came out of her aunt and uncle’s apartment and the dog was running loose once again. The cats that had been around scattered immediately, with most of them running under cars. One of them actually confronted the dog, who backed away some but then started chasing him. Debbie’s daughter and I were angry that the girl had let her dog loose like that since the cats live here and she doesn’t. I tried restraining the dog until the girl could come and get her and I told her that she needed to get a leash. She didn’t take that too well, and then when Debbie’s daughter told her the same thing more forcefully (but not rudely) the girl proceeded to call her a f***ing whore. I thought Debbie’s daughter would take her down right then and there. And I wouldn’t have blamed her. There was this girl, causing a disturbance, and then getting angry and calling people names when they pointed out something that she’s supposed to do not only by apartment regulations, but also by state law. Needless to say, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my system. I didn’t know at that point what would happen. The girl got her dog and stormed into the apartment. Debbie’s daughter was furious so she knocked on the door and my neighbor answered. He was apologetic, but we kept telling him that we knew it was not his fault. We did, however, want him to know exactly what had happened. I talked to him some more and his niece came out from the apartment and they exchanged a few words and he basically asked her to leave. She stormed off with her dog in her arms (rather awkwardly because it’s a large dog).
A bit later after that I was trying to regroup the cats, hoping that this time the dog situation was over. I finally met one of my neighbors whose dogs I see every day. He and his mother have a pit bull and a pit bull-lab mix. He had seen the black dog running around loose and was wondering what that was all about. I told him the brief version and he said he was thinking of calling security. The dog showed up yet again, and this time I had Garfield in my arms. The dog was circling around us and Garfield was getting really nervous because the dog wouldn’t stop. I don’t think the dog was being mean, but it had too much energy and was out of control. My neighbor offered me if I wanted to step into their apartment with Garfield till things calmed down. I gratefully accepted. I then met his mother and we told her about the situation. She was angry because she’s a responsible dog owner and doesn’t like people who let their dogs run loose with no control over them. I don’t either, and especially not when on top of being irresponsible they have such a bad attitude. She sent her son off to the security guard who stands outside our gate in the evenings but didn’t find him. She and I stood outside for a while and once again saw the girl. She was looking for her dog yet again. When she saw us she said in a rather annoyed tone something about us being the cat people who hate dogs. Boy, was she wrong, and my neighbor let her know it. Finally I went home, and brought Garfield inside for a short while until things calmed down a bit.
I then proceeded to spend a bit of time outside my front door, trying to coax some of the cats back with food and milk. Some of them came around and ate, but looked around nervously at the slightest rustling of leaves. Gradually they calmed down, and I calmed down too. I hope tomorrow will be a more peaceful day. And I hope I never have to see that girl again. I just don’t want to deal with unreasonable people who become so unpleasant without any provocation. After all, we pay rent here and have the right to expect a certain level of peace. She, on the other hand, does not pay rent here and has no right to disturb that peace. I’ve talked to my next door neighbor and he saw the dog running around too and agreed with me that that girl needed to leave.
I feel bad for that dog because having such an irresponsible owner, I wonder what will end up happening to her. She’s young and doesn’t respond to any commands and clearly never gets put on a leash. I hope she won’t run in front of a car one of these days. I have the feeling her owner wouldn’t even learn if that happened, and I don’t want the dog to suffer. I also don’t want to get my neighbors in trouble because their niece is being irresponsible and rude. They are nice people and I enjoy talking to them, and I also don’t want my relationship with them to get ruined because of this girl.
Perhaps tomorrow my uneventful weekend can begin.
posted by Ana at 21:47
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