We met tons of dogs and people on our walk. One man asked if he could pet the dogs. Lola seemed afraid of him (he was very tall and big), so I told him that she was shy, but he could pet the little one.
He crouched down, gave Franklin a few pats, then...
picked him up
cradled him in the crook of his neck
and started kissing him.
While I understand Franklin is really really cute, this struck me as very strange. Most people seem to be able to control their need to cuddle Franklin. But this guy apparently couldn't.
And speaking of really cute Franklins, we met a 12-week old husky named Franklin. He was ADORABLE.
Um, that seems kind of inappropriate. I think I would've been a little freaked out even if the dog wasn't!
ReplyDeleteI will squeeze you and hug you and call you George! Bahaha! That is very strange but probably harmless. Maybe he'd had a bad day?
ReplyDeleteMamma Heartbeat
It is strange and lucky for that guy that Franklin was so accommodating. People hug Hurley all the time at the shop and give him kisses. But that's his job and a big part of what we've trained him for - it would be weird for a total stranger to think that was OK while we were out and about on a walk.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I think my mom would freak if a total stranger snuggled the Corbin's face...
ReplyDelete-Corbin
That's actually kind of funny. Was Franklin taken aback at all? Maybe it's a bit similar to the guy who couldn't resist giving Obama a big bear hug?
ReplyDeleteFranklin was totally fine with the stranger love. He's a cuddle slut. I was a bit freaked out, and held tight to his leash, I was worried the guy was going to run off with Franklin!!
ReplyDeleteHA! Yeah, I would've been freaked too! The kissing really would've put me over the edge!
ReplyDeleteInappropriate, yes. But the guy obviously needed a puppeh fix. Glad for you and Franklin that you both weathered it with dignity.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think of Japan, where they have places you can go to cuddle and interact with cats. And how they are now introducing dogs to colleges so students can benefit from petting and being with dogs as stress reducers.
Hope it doesn't happen again, but maybe you could reframe it as a moment of public service. (from your story the guy seemed harmless, it's the implications that he might not have been that is the scary part... and I agree still - inappropriate stranger behavior.)