Being a person who owns dogs can be immensely rewarding, and immensely frustrating. Dogs interact with people in a very interesting way, eliciting an honest emotional response, even if that human response is sometimes downright hostile, whether out of fear or outright dislike.

A recent walk with my three dogs was a study in unexpected reactions. Ambling down towards the harbour to collect a package, dogs all leashed up, I noticed a wheelchair user heading towards me. Not wanting to make negotiating the rather narrow pavement more difficult, I reined all three in to give the young woman plenty of room to get by. She stared intently at the three miscreants as she approached, and I thought to myself, “Here comes trouble”, anticipating negative feedback.

She was now right next to me, and I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just smiled, probably looking completely inane. Then the unforeseen happened. She moved her head towards the three dogs and then indicated with her hands for them to come to her. All three came to her side and snuggled into her. As they did, her face physically lit up, beaming with pure joy. After a couple of minutes, she looked at me and indicated a wordless thank you, and she moved on. I walked on too, tears threatening to spill.

I hope the warmth and positive energy generated in that chance meeting stayed with that young woman for some time. A grey, chilly day was transformed by that simple, yet profound interaction.