Dogged By Trump Supporters

This is an open appeal to operators on both sides of the political aisle: Do not blindly support the actions of any and all just because they are members of your political tribe.

I’m a Donald Trump supporter, but that doesn’t mean I endorse all that some of my Trump brethren do. In fact, I know personally a number of Trump fans with whom I would not share a dinner.

I bumped into a group of such undesirable Trump backers this morning, while walking home from dropping off my Mustang GT to have an intermittent miss diagnosed by my mechanic.

How do I know they supported Trump? They proudly told me so. More on that later.

I took the scenic route for my walk, past the home ballfield of our Little League Softball champions from West Suburban.

As I walked up the former road between ballfields, I saw a group of adult men with dogs running loose. This, despite signs advising no pets (remember this for later) and the state’s leash law for dogs in public areas.

I was trying to listen to an investment podcast on my cell phone when two of the lab-type dogs, one black and other yellow, rushed over to greet me.

They were not aggressive or intimidating because that is not the Lab demeanor. They did, however, bump into me in clumsy Lab fashion and were annoying, as were the half-hearted verbal attempts from the guys to call them off.

Because I am who I am, I took the opportunity to tell the group that there are leash laws and they really should have better control of their animals.

This annoyed them, which didn’t surprise me. Few things are more predictable these days than a wrongdoer being offended when their infractions are pointed out to them.

One particularly mouthy guy, perhaps emboldened by having me outnumbered 4-1, not including the loose dogs, told me to just keep moving. And it was on.

I asked if he owned the land, which obviously he didn’t. His clever rejoinder was “Do you?” It was offered with the self-satisifed smirk of a moron, or a 3rd-grader.

No, I don’t own the land and that’s the point, In public venues, dogs must be under control. That’s not just my opinion, it’s the law.

Ironically, the mouthy one noted while there are signs stating no pets, he didn’t see any leash signs.

I then asked him if he considered his dog a human or a pet. In these days of identifying as other things, perhaps the dog identified as human.

I stopped to unlock my phone and take his picture – and that of his dog — thanking him – the presumed human, not the dog. Said human and his buddies uttered some unintelligble things.

“Still standing here?’ he asked.

Apparently, yes.

I was branded as a first-timer in the vicinity. This was interesting since I’ve lived in the area for about 40 years and have walked in that vicinity for most of that time. But the guy was just throwing stuff against the wall seeing what might stick.

Again, I was told to move on and he reached out and touched my right forearm. I told him to get his hands off me and he did.

I was told I was a glaring example of what was wrong with this country, what Trump was trying to fix.

I noted that I’d voted for Trump three times. He doubted that. I asked him if he cared to wager on the matter. By virtue of this blog and interaction with those in my family and circle of friends, I can prove my political leanings.

Now, he reversed course and said he didn’t care. But he must care, he brought up the subject of politics.

Alas, he was not a taker on the bet. Instead, he and his group of pals tossed assorted verbal barbs as I walked away, including that I obviously hated dogs.

“Just irresponsible dog owners,” I told them.

I bumped into another neighbor out for a walk while we still were within eyesight of the group of brave scofflaws and I told him I hoped they were not friends of his. Apparently, they were not.

This lack of responsibility among dog owners is a common theme. The humans are supposed to be the brains of the outfit, but often are not.

Just yesterday, a woman neighbor was lamenting to my wife the owners of large dogs on our street and nearby streets, who let them roam loose, terrorizing small dogs such as hers.

Although I have owned dogs most of my life, I currently have none, so I literally and figuratively had no dog in that fight. But she is correct. Dog ownership comes with responsibility.

So does political partisanship. Whether you support Trump or Democrats, don’t mirror the actions of the idiot Trump supporters I encountered today. Think for yourself and be both brave and intellectually honest enough to point out misdeeds, even by those with whom you side politically.