His house being so close, he often took a walk in the park before getting his tea.
He was strolling through it when it happened. His first sight of the Rottweiler was when the owner was crouching down, removing the lead. It was a huge animal and he couldn’t help wondering whether this was a good idea. As he drew closer, he asked, “Should you be doing that?”
The owner looked up and smiled. “Oh! Don’t worry. People often think that. I’ve got quite used to being asked about him. It’s just his size, I think. He may look pretty menacing, but he’s just an old softy, he’s as gentle as a baby; he wouldn’t hurt a fly.” With that, the lead slipped off and the owner stood.
The dog took two steps towards the man and growled, showing its teeth.
The owner chuckled. “Look at him, he’s just showing off.”
With that the animal took several bounds and knocked the man to the ground. It had a firm grip on his arm and was reluctant to let it go. The victim of the attack was yelling when the owner finally came to the rescue and managed to pull the dog off.
The man on the ground pulled up his sleeve to reveal a nasty bite just above his wrist that was bleeding badly.
Before continuing to walk his dog, the owner said, “I must say that surprises me. He’s normally pretty good with strangers.” He tugged at the reconnected lead and walked away.
The man slowly stood up, stemming the blood loss by tightening his hand over the wound. “That’s good to know,” he murmured.
As he watched the dog owner go, it struck him that he looked a lot like the neighbour he’d recently had words with, about playing his music so loud at night. It was dark at the time… he couldn’t be sure.