It's a Dog's Life

I did a little walking up and down Main Street in downtown Greenville early Friday evening. A clear sky and a temperature in the mid 70s meant I had a lot of company.

Main Street was swamped. This wasn't helped by some ongoing building construction that forces everyone to the same side of the street for a couple of blocks.

It was an unending river of humanity. On Friday nights a block of Main is closed for an outdoor concert and gathering. This added to the mayhem, attracting even more people downtown.

I love Greenville and the small-town feel its downtown projects. Most of the restaurants and bars along Main have outdoor seating, so the mass of pedestrians must share the sidewalk with tables of folks eating and drinking.

That's okay with me. I do my fair share of lounging at the tables outside The Blue Ridge Brewery on Sunday afternoons. It's some great people watching.

But in the midst of all this chaos are people who, for reasons that elude me, insist on bringing their dog to Main Street because, well, darn it, the sidewalk just isn't crowded enough already.

So what you have are dogs of all sizes tugging on three or four feet of leash, tangling themselves among the unsuspecting pedestrians. You can't walk more than two or three blocks without a couple of these mutts squaring off to growl and snap at one another.

Maybe it's just the way I was raised or some imprint on my DNA, but it never occurred to me to bring my cat to Main Street with me. Nor have I spotted anyone with an aquarium under his arm.

Nope, it just seems to be dog owners who operate under the assumption that everyone wants to see their dog.

I can't speak for anyone else, but me, not so much. If I want to see your dog, I'll give you a call and come by your house.

If the idea is to provide these dogs some exercise, there is no shortage of parks in Greenville where dogs can walk, run and play with abandon. Main Street isn't much of a workout for your average dog, but dodging them is more of a workout than I want on a Friday night.

I'm just sayin'.....