Wild Dog Evening.

August 3, 2016

Today was a rainy day.  It seemed that every time I snapped the leash to Zuma's collar rain drops would start to plop plop plop from the sky.  In the news, North Carolina is reporting flash flood warnings.  The rain is expected to continue on and off for the next two days.  Having lived through a house flood, I feel so badly for people in a risky flood area.  Outside of Charlotte, NC they have received 7 1/2" of precipitation today. We are getting some serious rain.  I feel safe up here on the hill in our Motorhome.

Zu really needs a good long walk , she hasn't had one for two days now, just several short treks a day around the Park here.

So, this evening, after a rainstorm, we headed out for a stroll up the hill.  On our way, a truck passed us and we could hear a frenzied dog snarling ferociously from inside the vehicle.  This was truly serious aggression.  The driver of the truck was LAUGHING. It didn't register as comical to me.  Zuma trotted along as she does, she is frequently (daily) snarled at by other dogs and doesn't bother with their vocal comments.  She ignores the threats.  Almost always it is little dogs who I think are intimidated yet feel secure to vocalize when in a protected environment.  But this was one bad-ass sounding dog.

If we can't go for a long walk we always go for a jaunt up to the top of the hill a few times a day and since there was a break in the weather we headed for "the bathroom area".  We stopped and visited with several people and had forgotten about the mad red dog.  Suddenly, the same dog lunged unexpectedly from his campsite for Zuma, his owner in tow, clinging to the leash for dear life.  This dog meant business. We didn't see him coming.  I saw his face and it was a CUJO moment. He is a huge, red Mastiff-type brute of a dog, 180 - 200 lbs of solid muscle.  We've met a lot of Mastiffs and they are nice dogs.  As he lurched for Zuma, the dog hauled his handler a few yards and then the guy fell onto his rear end.  The dog dragged him across the lawn on his butt for several yards.  I quickly said "I'm sorry" and we turned heel and quickly jogged down the hill for home.  The handler was still skidding across the lawn on his butt.  I couldn't help him.  I figured once he hit the pavement he'd stop. 

My heart rate was waaaay up but Zuma was cool.  She muttered some swear words under her breath when he was about to attack her but that was all.