tsimmons (tsimmons) wrote in divisions, @ 2021-02-28 19:21:00 |
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There was just something about having such a huge dog that made Tobias happy. He didn't even see Freya as a status symbol, unlike some people would. A smaller dog would have done the job just as well, like a German Shepherd or a Doberman Pinscher, and he had considered getting one or two of those instead. Yet, when he saw Tibetan Mastiffs, Tobias fell in love with the breed. He had to get one. Something about having a dog that looked like a mix between a bear and a lion called to him. So he got one. He had gone through extensive training courses with Freya, both mundane (obedience and others) and magical (to keep her calm around magic). It all led to a dog who could heel on command, play like a regular puppy, and not freak out if Tobias decided to light a candle or fire without matches. She was also spoiled, to no one's surprise. The best toys, the best food, the best groomers, even the best bed. Nothing was too good for his fur baby. Even if she needed more exercise than some dogs might, it didn't matter. If asked how much he cared for his dog, he'd reply with something along the lines of, "Not to be dramatic, but I would die for her if I had to."
Dressed in appropriate clothing, Tobias left his home with Freya on her leash. It was time for the second of their daily one to two hour jog/dog walk. When school started up in the fall, they would have to adjust their schedule, which Freya was used to, to two walks a day instead of three, but for now they enjoyed spending so much time exercising together. Unlike what his baggy clothing showed, Tobias was actually in pretty good shape, so he had no problems doing a mixture of jogging and walking with Freya. He could even spend the whole time jogging if he wanted to, but he really enjoyed letting her sniff around at a leisurely pace, so they mixed it up. They would jog on the way to the park, spend a little time walking around, greeting those people whom he was starting to recognize, then do about 30 minutes of jogging. Rinse and repeat. At this very moment, they were sitting on a bench for a couple minutes, enjoying the crisp February air, their breaths clouds in front of them. He watched as Freya shifted her on her front paws a bit, her sign that she was about ready to get moving again. Touching his waist, Tobias confirmed that he had the dog pouch attached. Deftly pulling out a treat using a sleight of hand trick, he stood. As was their routine, after sitting for a few minutes, the mage began to put Freya through her paces. Sitting, standing, rolling, paw in hand, and various other tricks. With each complete rotation, he’d give her a homemade dog treat. Some people going by smiled at him while he worked with Freya. There was even a child with their parents who sprinted over. Tobias noticed and immediately went into Teacher Mode. He moved himself between Freya and the child, impeding the kid’s progress. The kid was, naturally, pouting at being stopped. Giving Freya the “Calm” and “Stay” commands, he waved over the parents, keeping himself between the three and Freya.
When they approached, he smiled and introduced himself as a university professor. Shaking their hands, even squatting down to shake the hand of the child, he began to explain. He told them that while Freya was a Very Good Dog, and was exceptional with children, even Very Good Dogs could get startled by someone suddenly running at them and getting in their space with no warning. The child’s parents smiled, explaining that they had already taught their child this, but had gotten overexcited by the sight of the massive dog. Tobias chuckled and nodded, understanding completely. He asked if they minded if he tried a different avenue of thought with the child, to which they agreed. Turning his gaze back to the child, he squatted down to be on the boy’s level. The lesson began.
“So, Henry,” he said, getting the name from the parents. “I can tell you love dogs, and I’ll be happy to let you play with Freya in a minute, but I just wanted to talk to you about something. Do you like bugs?” The boy shook his head in the negative. “What happens when you unexpectedly find a bug crawling on you or on a surface it shouldn’t be, like the table?”
Henry immediately responded with, “I smash it!” He was enthusiastic if nothing else.
Nodding, Tobias continued, “You would do the same if a bug came flying at your face or running towards your feet, right?” He got a nod in return. “Great. Now, you’d say most people and animals would do that, right?” A hesitant nod. “Correct. With that in mind, and with knowing that Freya would never intentionally bite anyone unless they were hurting me or someone I cared about, what do you think she might do to something, or someone, that was suddenly in her space with no warning?”
The cogs were turning in the child’s head. Tobias could see the connections being made. A hesitant voice spoke. “Smash...it…?”
Tobias chuckled. “Well, no. Freya won’t step on you. But she may try to brush you aside with her paw or use her body to push you away. If you weren’t expecting that, which I think would be the case, you may get hurt by a claw or by falling, and I wouldn’t want that. Would you want to be hurt by an animal that makes you so happy when you see one?”
Henry’s head shook in the negative again.
“I wouldn’t want that, either. So, would you like for me to teach you how you should approach a strange dog?”
Henry looked at his parents, who were nodding and smiling. He nodded.
“Great! Now, my dog’s name is Freya, if you didn’t hear that earlier. She and I are going to move 50 feet that way,” he said while pointing down the way. “When we stop, I’ll start having Freya do tricks again, but I will be facing away from you. When that happens, you can start coming over, but make sure to move to the side a bit so that both Freya and I are able to see you in the corners of our eyes. Walk over to us at a normal speed and wave to get our attention. Freya may not react, but I will, and I will gesture that you can come over. Now, before you make it all the way to us, make sure to ask if it’s okay to meet Freya. I will give you the okay, at which point, you should stand a few feet away and let Freya come to you. You don’t need to put out your hand or anything. She can smell you just fine without that. If she wants to approach you and interact, which she will, she’ll put a paw on your foot. It’s just one of her quirks, don’t worry about it. After that, it will be fine to pet her, but make sure to bring your hand in from the side, not above. She shouldn’t have a problem if you don’t, but remember that meeting a new person for a dog can be uncomfortable, so you should do what you can to make them comfortable. Do you understand? Need me to go over any of the steps again?”
Henry shook his head and repeated back what he needed to do, at which Tobias smiled and nodded. Before he began walking like he said he would, he turned to the parents and told them they had a great kid. With that, he took Freya 50 feet away and began to put her through her paces again. He quietly cast an awareness spell so that he could monitor the child’s approach to make sure the instructions were being followed. They were, and within a few seconds he saw Henry out of the corner of his eye, waving a bit. Turning to look, Tobias smiled and waved Henry over. The interaction went as planned, with Freya and Henry eventually getting friendly. After a few minutes of talking with the parents, Tobias got Henry’s attention.
“So, there are three other things I wanted to tell you about approaching a new dog. The first, and most important I think, is to never approach a dog who’s acting aggressive or scared. If you see a dog, and the dog is barking a lot, growling, showing its teeth or the white of its eyes, or has its tail tucked between its legs, don’t approach it. Aggressive dogs will also occasionally be wagging their tails, so don’t approach an aggressive dog with a wagging tail, either. That doesn’t mean it will be friendly. Dogs who are acting scared or aggressively are unpredictable, and you could get hurt. Second, until you’re older, in your teens, don’t approach a dog without your parents or whoever is watching you at the time, and don’t do it without their permission, either. They may see something that you don’t about the dog, and should make the final decision on whether to approach the dog or not. Third, never approach a dog without the owner’s permission. Sometimes the owner doesn’t have time to wait while someone greets their dog. Sometimes their dog may be shy or scared around new people. Sometimes they may be in the middle of training the dog. All of these are valid reasons as to why they might say no to you meeting their dog. You should never push that. If an owner says no, there’s probably a reason, even if they don’t tell you. Never feel offended by that. Just tell them you understand and go about your day. Remember, there is no requirement to let you play with a pet. You might want to really badly, but no owner has to let you interact with their animal. Does all of that make sense?”
Henry nodded. His parents thanked Tobias for the lesson and let Henry know that they had to get going. Tobias waved goodbye and went off to continue his exercise with Freya before returning home. It had been a good jog. Hopefully the next one will be just as good.