Respecting the Law

There's a walk I take through the neighborhood, for exercise, two miles, round trip, mostly up and down Matlock Road, two lanes wide, mostly without sidewalks. Jill often walks with me. We've been taking this walk for so long that the locals recognize us and inquire after Jill, should she not be with me, and most of the neighborhood dogs don't bother to bark at us.

Not halfway down Matlock Road a street with only two houses on it tees off into the brush. For a while a Border collie pup would run out from one of the houses and follow us for a few yards before returning home. An older female terrier began running out with the collie and barking at us. Soon, the collie began barking, as well, and both dogs became increasingly aggressive, baring their teeth and running at us. Waving a hat or bandanna no longer deters them and I began picking up chunks of concrete and stones to throw at them. Jill has suggested I call Animal Control but its been my experience that they can't get past a donut shop any faster than a city cop unless the call is about a trapped possum.

On this day, I prepared for my walk by tying what is called a "clevis" or "bow" shackle to seven feet of line.



As we passed the side street the two dogs, plus a younger pup, ran out of the back yard to where Jill and I walked. I ran them off and we continued on our way.
On the return leg they ran out again, seemingly determined to get a bite in, this time. The female was particularly aggressive and I was swinging my rope and holding her at bay when we noticed a Corpus Christi Police Department patrol car drive past us, damned near close enough to be hit by my rope.

Jill was scandalized that the car didn't even slow but I yelled, "Hey, Lady!" then, "Hey, Officer!" hoping that the cop spoke English.
Her head came out of her ass with a loud "pop!" and she turned around and pulled up to where we'd escaped the animals.
I was miffed. I looked at her and asked, incredulously, "You didn't see those dogs attacking us?"

She told me, "I thought it was your dog".

I thought, 'Yeah, bullshit' but replied:
"The dog that was baring its teeth and trying to bite me? No, lady, that's not my dog."

I told her they came after us whenever we walked and finally made her understand at which house they belong.
She drove around the corner and Jill told me she hoped the dogs ran out after the cop the way they ran after us. I doubt she got her dead ass out of the car.

Now, even if this genius thought the three dogs I was holding off were my dogs, she should have stopped and tried to write me a ticket for violating the "leash law". I'm tempted to get all "neckish (redneck-like)" and comment on the quality of cops Affirmative Action is putting on our streets, and might make a case in this instance, but it's not just that. CCPD sends these uniformed posers out to the Bluff because it's supposed to be an area where they can quickly become experienced. I don't know what kind of experience they are supposed to be getting since they mostly stay in their cars, windows up, oblivious to, or contemptuous of, the people they are supposed to be protecting and serving.

A few days ago, when I mentioned the dogs to an old Bluff rat (whose house I pass on my walk), he offered to lodge a complaint with the dogs' owner (I declined because I feared he might not know when to quit lodging). And, you know, he's not even on the city payroll.