June 1, 2008 In my defenselessness my safety lies.

My dog and I went to a benefit to raise money for a local dog park that people want to build. We went because he is a dog and it seemed like a good cause. Of course, he doesn’t understand the need for a dog park because he is not as smart as we are. Right?

The dog park will allow people to bring their dogs into a fenced in area and let them run about leash free. I remember when dogs just ran around leash free. Now we need a place for them to run around because we have a leash law. The leash law was started to protect the dogs and the people. No one questions the need for a leash law now. When we see a dog running free we freak and try to catch it. You can’t just run around like that!

One of the obstacles that this group is facing is the question of liability. Who will be responsible if something goes wrong? Will it be the town? Will it be the individual dog owners? Will it be the group that built and maintains the park? I heard a lot of talk in regard to this apparent threat. All of those involved have lawyers working to protect them. They are drafting up papers that hopefully will protect each party from liability should something occur. That is as long as these papers stand up in court. Opinions differ that is until someone decides what the truth will be. With the growth of dog parks throughout the country there must be an insurance company working on a special umbrella insurance policy to cover the responsible party once that individual or group is determined. Or the insurance companies may be including riders in existing policies to protect themselves should each individual be liable.

My dog was excited to be going. I asked him if he wanted to go to the dog park benefit and he started jumping around, running around in circles and making the happy noises that I expect him to make when I use the word want in any sentence.

The benefit was outside in a large area and there were booths set up advertising dog walking, grooming, dog sitting, food products, etc. There was a woman who does Reiki on dogs. There was a dog message booth and there was a booth advertising dog mental health. The sign read, “Your dog has emotions too.” Well of course he does. He perceives all of the threats that I perceive. Doesn’t he? I am laughing as I am wondering if he even has a choice but to perceive what I perceive. Does he even care?

I bet if I tried really hard I could see emotions in that robin every morning. The world must be a cruel place for it. It must be filled with fears.

I explained how happy he gets. Well, when I am leaving the house and I don’t use want in a sentence he sits there and looks at me. I can see sadness in his eyes that he is not coming with me. Right?

I bought some raffle tickets at the benefit and I won a 55 lb bag of dog food. My dog weighs 11 pounds. I don’t need that much dog food so I have to find a shelter to donate it to. It’s funny how, after I got rid of all my stuff, things keep coming to me that I have to give away.

I still have the butterfly!

I was looking at one of those fish that people put in bowls on a table. I can’t think of there name and, to be honest, I don’t really care what the name is. There it was swimming into the walls of this little glass bowl over and over. It doesn’t even know it is trapped. I have heard that if you put a mirror up to the glass the fish will go into a frenzy anticipating an attack from the reflection of itself. Aren’t fish stupid?

“You are its slave. You know not what you do, in fear of it. You do not understand how much you have been made to sacrifice, who feel its iron grip upon your heart. You do not realize what you have done to sabotage the holy peace of God by your defensiveness. For you behold the Son of God as but a victim to attack by fantasies, by dreams, and by illusions he has made; yet helpless in their presence, needful only of defense by still more fantasies, and dreams by which illusions of his safety comfort him.”