When you don't have the words ...

I'm not sure what I would have said even if there hadn't been a language barrier, tbh. Picture it -

This morning my dog was doing her squat in the street (me standing by holding bag and waiting to swoop) and a kid of about 3 toddled up and tried to kick her in the face. Whaaaaaaaaat? The dog is better-behaved than she was but the kid would have lost his foot if he’d connected. She doesn’t like kids at the best of times. I gently straight-armed him since the dog couldn’t move at that precise moment, and glared. The kid beamed up at me.

Elderly escorting grandfather said something gruff (I don’t think in Spanish) and then shouted words at me when my swoop left a smear on the road. Since I was holding both the dog’s lead and a small and revoltingly warm packet I mimicked the kid’s kick in adult and very mature response and stalked off feeling ruffled.

Hell, most people don’t even bother to pick up their dog turds, they leave them to become part of the road or swept up by the frequent street cleaners. Maybe he’s a retired street cleaner.

If it had been Scotland, and a wee Scottish bairn, and a Scottish-speaking grandpa, I would have said that kicking any dog in the face is probably asking for trouble. But then anyone stupid enough to need that said probably deserves to learn the hard way.

But learn what? Should I have mashed the pickup into the kid’s face? Has he gotta learn that even when dogs don’t bite, owners do? Or do I just hope the next dog he tries that on is one of the few pit bull terriers that is NOT good with kids?

Morning all. You can bring it on, I feel scrappy.