I’m Not So Scary! – Conversations with Stella

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. I am a beautiful, sweet girl.

Me:        Yes, you are.

Stella:    But Lady Human, something that happened at the vet lady’s place last week is still bothering me.

Me:        Oh, that was just a thermometer. That’s how dog doctors take your temperature to make sure you are healthy…

Stella:    No, not THAT! I know all that. Not that it was great, but what is bothering me is how some of the humans looked at me. Like that one lady who stared at me and pulled her dog closer to her.

Me:        I remember.

Stella:    She reminded me of that woman at the feed store that time, the one who wouldn’t come in the door because she said I was ‘so big’. Her dog was way taller than me.

Me:        Yeah, I had to tell her that all you would ever do was roll over on your back and want her to scratch your belly. She seemed to calm down after that.

Stella:    Her dog was embarrassed for her.

Me:        Yeah, her dog seemed friendly. So did the one at the vet’s office.

Stella:    Even the cat people were calm.

Me:        Well, the cats were in closed carriers so…

Stella:    Why are people afraid of me? I am not scary. Not so scary anyway.

Me:        You have to understand something about humans, Stella. Humans can be stupid. And fearful.

Stella:    Oh, I know that humans are stupid.

Me:        No, not all humans.

Stella:    Just a whole bunch of humans that I have met. Don’t misunderstand me, Lady Human. I don’t believe that you and Tall Man are stupid.

Me:        Thank you.

Stella:    Most of the time.

Me:        Okay…

Stella:    But I am not scary. Look at my face! I don’t act scary. I don’t bark or lunge or growl. Why do humans draw back from me?

Me:        Even if a human is not stupid, a human can be ignorant. They see your teeth and…

Stella:    They think I would use my teeth on them?

Me:        Sometimes. I mean, I know you wouldn’t and you know you wouldn’t, but a stranger to your breed may think you are a fighter. People judge all kinds of things by appearances before they know the facts. Remember the vet staff, how they reacted to you?

Stella:    They laughed and smiled.

Me:        They called you ‘pretty girl’. They know bulldogs very well.

Stella:    From now on, I only want to be around smart humans, the ones who call me ‘pretty girl’ and smile. Please instruct all other humans to look away or go home.

Me:        Yeah, I don’t think that is going to go over too well.

 

 

 

 

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