Solutions

On the first of our walks yesterday Bernie and I had another face off with Kid Rabid. The cat which is not quite half his size began stalking Bernie from across a long lawn. I’d guess he was fifty foot away, crouched down in the grass, head down, moving in a threatening step by step crawl toward the dog.

I had to demand obedience from Bernie. I insisted he heel and walk away with me, but he resisted. So, I made him sit. He did, and then lay down on his own, facing and riveted on Rabid. Every muscle in his body tensed.

I’m not sure why; maybe I’ve just gotten tired of trying to control myself in the face of threats, hold down my anger, stop reacting. But against my best judgment, I leaned over to Bernie and whispered one word: Okay.

Rabid escaped at the last minute by scrabbling over a neighbor’s fence two homes away. I don’t think we’ll ever be bothered again.

And something else occurred to me looking into Bernie’s smile afterwards. Maybe sometimes the thing to do is attack.