Puca writes:

Walking my dog on extension lead in Sandymount [Dublin 4] yesterday evening and my dog was about 10 ft behind me (sniffing railings) and suddenly some guy comes jogging up from behind with a dog also on a lead. T

he two dogs snarl at bare teeth at each other. I immediately rein my dog in and apologise but the bearded jogger stops and asks

“What’s that about?”

I said I didn’t see them approaching from behind and apologised again but he persists

“What’s that about?”

When I say that I have already apologised and that he seems to be implying it was an intentional manoeuvre by me, he comes back with:

“Your dog attacked mine, I’m entitled to give you grief”

As if it’s a contract I have unwittingly signed. After some handbags, it all ended with his pithy:

“Oh fuck off.”

As he jogged away.

The encounter itself was mildly diverting, but his language describing his entitlement to give grief (as if I had not read the Ts & Cs of dog walking) was illuminating.

Have the unwritten rules of the social contract been replaced with an actual contract (entitlements and all)?

Anyone?

Rollingnews

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