Dog treat policy
Today I was gratified to learn that the dog-friendly treat-happy policy of my building has been restored. Every day Sophie, our dog, upon returning from his quick business on the side walk, makes a dash into the door and around the corner into the space behind the reception desk where untold numbers of treats are stored. Each of our doormen has a different way to give out the treats: by throwing it carefully into the direction of her mouth, by sprinkling several on the floor, by presenting one held between thumb and index finger for the dog to pick up, at the risk of getting saliva over the hand, or by placing one onto the carpet, to avoid it. For the past several days, there were no treats, and an embarrassed silence in the lobby. As we later found out, there was a move by some dog owners who didn’t want their dogs to receive treats to have the practice banned altogether. Evidently dogs, seeing other dogs receive a treat, feel very envious, and exert pulls on their leashes that causes their owners to resent treats being given to treat-consenting owners. Now the glaring unfairness of one set of dogs to be made suffer because another set is not supposed to get the treats — for concerns about weight or purity of nutrition, or whatever is in their owners’ minds — was probably the reason the management reverted to the old policy. Dogs can again receive treats, “at the owners’ discretion,” as the email going to all residents said, and the non-treat owners just need to find a way to pull their dogs swiftly along, out of the zone of seduction and treat envy. Justice, I think, has been served.
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