I think Tiny is very nearly the only dog at this complex that *couldn't* fit thru the fence bars on that doggy park.
Makes it a little pointless for the rules to say that it is the only place dogs can be let off-leash if most of the dogs that could be in it could just run right out of it if they actually were let off leash.
Then again, only a couple of the dogs around here are walked on-leash, the rest are just let run loose. Whenever Tiny and I are out on walkies, and I hear the little things yapping somewhere, I try to head the other way. If we can't avoid them then all I can do is hold her harness and try to stay between her and them, while they try to run up to her and bark in her face, sometimes very aggressively. If I didn't hold her, she *might* not do anything...but if she did do something, even innocently defending herself, there wouldn't be much left of the attacking dog after the first strike.
The management already knows people aren't properly leashing their dogs, and has admonished the complex as a whole via their newsletter--but it hasnt' changed anything. Probably won't, until someone's dog gets run over cuz it ran out into traffic on the street or the parking lot, or gets into a fight with another dog (probably also not on a leash).
The real problem is the people that should be in control of them *know* they are agressive, and they always apologize as they finally catch up with the dog, but they still don't do anything about it. I haven't bothered to talk to any of them because if they can't figure it out on their own, then me telling them what the eventual results are going to be won't fix anything--it's just going to make me sound like I'm threatening them, even though I'm not. So, I'll just have to let evolution in action take it's course, saddeningly.
But I *can* say, as a promise, not a threat, that any dog that actually attacks Tiny is going to have an awful hard time getting thru me (I won't let Tiny be at fault and punished for defending herself--if something looks like it's actually going to bite her, I'll deal with it first any way I have to).
On the topic of the house and security; I was so anxious about the whole looting thing, that I had pretty much continuous nightmares last night so that I didn'[t even really get to sleep at all. So after Tiny's first morning walkies and her breakfast, I went to breakfast and did my posting earlier over at McD, then when I got back I sat down and dozed right off. Kept waking from the more usual nightmares about the dogs and fire and whatnot, but eventually got a little sleep.
Around midday we went for more walkies, and watched some of the landscapers installing the potted plants in the holes they'd already had prepared around the property--some bushes, some trees, all very small right now. They won't be any different by the time I leave here...most of them look like weeds that sprouted from the pointy gravel/rock that replaced the grass/dirt I much preferred. (which, by the way, they did not use any kind of plastic liner between the gravel and dirt, so ther eare *actual* weeds and grass and whatnot growing up thru the gravel/rocks all over the places, especially around the water sources installed for the above potted plants--for a gravelly type of landscape, it looks pretty crappy because of that, though for myself I prefer it to look that way, as I would much rather have dirt and green things than rocks to look at or walk among).
After we got back, I clipped and filed her claws, which I had put off for a couple weeks already, and then gave her a good thorough bath. She doesn't exactly hate them, but she doens't enjoy them a lot either. She does tolerate them pretty wel, and doesn't fight to get out of the tub or anything, mostly being cooperative about lettin gme lift feet, etc, to wash all over. I haven't gotten to the brushing yet, even now, though, as I have kept dozing off between walkies. Prbably do that after another nap once I'm done posting here (am just sitting on a saved-from-trash folding chair jus tinside the chain-locked west gate across from DD/McD, using whatever free wifi is being picked up right now).
Once tiny and I got her partly dried off, I sat down and dozed right off again, waking/dozing for another couple hours, and then more walkies out in the warm sun to help dry her off more, and repeated this cycle all afternoon, because I had realized that I was way too wiped out to possibly try to ride to the house and do anything, evne if I had the trailer already finished--and I don't evne really have it STARTED, as far as mounting the crate/kennel on it goes. So, today was mostly a waste as far as getting anhything done is concerned, though it was really nice to be able to basically spend a whole day with Tiny (except for my "naps", though she acutally spent most of those right there with me, whihc is unusual).
Late in the afternoon the clouds rolled in overhead, thin but blocking sunlight and making it cooler, and a stiff breeze turned up from the west-ish, so I opened the windows (front faces west, back faces east) and let the apartment air out. More dozing/waking/dozing, then another walkies maybe half an hour ago, then closed up the windows and locked them to come out here for wifi before i go back to doze again (I hope).
If I can at least doze enough thru today and tonight I might be functional enough to finish the trailer early tomorrow morning and take Tiny up to the house so I can work on the bike while she explores what will eventually be her new home.
That is, assuming the clouds are not going to end up rain clouds and keep me from actually getting the work done there (welding, power tools and such) that I need to do. And that looters dont' steal the tools and parts I have to use (or haven't already). I can buy more tools but I would have to take Tiny bakc to the apartment first, as I can't leave her unsupervised at the house nor could I take her with me and leave her in the kennel trailer outside the store, etc. So if I do have to go buy stuff then that ends the whole day of work, basically.
