Oh! what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive! — Sir Walter Scott
The fine art of deception may have its place in politics, advertising and Facebook, but there’s no room for it in your dealings with your dog. The truth may hurt, but not as much as a dog bite.
Last week, I spoke with a man who is having a hard time admitting that he’s having a hard time with his dog, who weighs 90 pounds and is aggressive. Recently, he was out walking the dog and a woman approached who really wanted to meet his dog.
I asked the man how the dog reacted to the woman’s interest in him. “He growled,” he said.
“And what did you do?”
“Well, she really wanted to meet him, so I invited her over to pet him.”
“Even though your dog was growling at her?”
“Well, she told me she’s really good with dogs and that all dogs love her. I thought it would be OK.”
“What happened,” I asked.
“He bit her.”
If anyone out there reading was surprised by this story’s ending, please raise your hand.
The only honest character in this tale is the one with the tail. In no uncertain terms, the dog warned the woman to keep her distance. For whatever reason, he was not in the mood to be charmed. He had no interest in joining the populous club of dogs who love her.
And, for whatever reason, neither human paid heed.
No, the bipeds were too busy weaving a web, a tangled web, a web that got one of them bit and left the other vulnerable to a lawsuit and in danger of losing his dog.
Any storyteller worth their salt will tell you that a good yarn needs a hero, someone to root for, someone who is overcoming obstacles in a Herculean attempt to become a better person.
Who’s the hero here?
No one — at least not yet.
If I were writing this story, I’d place this scene at the end of Act Two, the point at which everything falls apart and just before everyone — or at least the hero — gets their act together for the happy ending at the tail end of Act Three.
The happy ending is what we — the readers, the hero, everyone — want. But another truth in storytelling is that the hero has to make it happen, has to take some strong action to turn fate in his favor.
Sometimes that strong action is a very simple act. Tell the truth.
In this case, telling the truth won’t solve the aggression problem, but it will prevent that larger web from forming, that web that involves injuries and lawsuits, lost relationships and regret.
Telling the truth won’t cure aggression, but it will open the door to change.
Woof!
Dog trainer Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs and host of the PBS series “Woof! It’s a Dog’s Life!” Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.
