Odie Encounters a Brat

I wanted to take Odie out last Saturday. While I'm sure he had fun going to the vet in the afternoon, I thought he would like some legit playtime as well.

My siblings and I then decided to go to Eastwood for dinner and dessert. I've been wanting to try bringing Odie to Eastwood because I know it's one of the most dog-friendly places in Manila, and they do not discriminate against big dogs unlike in UP Technohub. Technohub guards rejected Boo and Bon and said that dogs weren't really allowed in the area but I've been there with Odie thrice without complaints, and I SAW A SMALL DOG THERE JUST LAST NIGHT! LIES!

Midway into the drive there, it started to drizzle, and it stayed that way until we got to Eastwood. When we got there, we went inside the mall, I presented Odie's medical records to the security man, and was asked to fill out a form to obtain a Pet Pass. It was a very smooth and easy process. I really like their system and I hope that other malls or urban developments (hello, Technohub!) would be clear about the regulations about bringing pets. If only small dogs are allowed, then say it instead of saying ALL dogs are not allowed while we hear little barks from inside. Personally though, I hate size discrimination against big dogs because hello, not all small dogs are easy to take care of or are educated. Same applies to their humans. More on this issue in a separate entry :)

Being a new place for my very curious and hyper puppy, he went WILD! We would frequently stop because he kept pulling on his leash, and when we sat down for dinner (of course, we had to find an al fresco area, even if it was drizzling), he kept going around and kept humping me on the leg. In spite of doing exercises to calm him down, I guess he really got overwhelmed by the place. All attempts to have dinner peacefully kind of failed, so I ended up boarding him in Dogs and the City for a half hour so we could have dinner. I thought it would run me around P250 or so to have him stay there, but their rates are surprisingly very low! Their lowest boarding rate is P90 which is for a maximum of 3 hours! They were closing in 30 minutes though so I had to board him, have dinner, and pick him up immediately after. I finally exhaled upon getting to dinner because the wet ground and getting licked all over was pretty stressful. When I picked him up, he was the only one left there, and he looked like a little pre-schooler waiting for his fetcher to arrive.

Odie was tamer when we picked him up, perhaps realizing that that's the consequence of being a naughty boy. We still had room for dessert, and my brother has been wanting to try Swensen's, so we did. The ice cream and sorbets were really good, but our experience was one for the books.

I tied Odie's leash on the arm rest of my chair so that he could walk in the area a bit without getting in the way of people passing by. After a few minutes of settling down, a family of 4 (grandmother, mom, a guy in his 20's, and a girl about eight years old) sat at the table next to ours. We got there first, meaning they KNEW we had a dog when they decided to settle where they did. When our desserts arrived, Odie kept barking and standing on his hind legs to get the lowdown on what was on the table. He kept looking intently at me and my sister whenever we scooped a bit of ice cream with our teaspoons, and barked in protest when we ate, perhaps thinking he should get some too.

When Odie barked, the little girl at the next table kept saying "Hey, what's this racket?", "That dog is so noisy!",  "Heeeeeeey! Stop it!", among other things. I ignored her complaining remarks because hey, "ignore bad behavior", right? And for the record, WE GOT THERE FIRST! They knew that we had a dog, so they sat beside our table to complain about our dog? Also, they chose to shop and dine in Eastwood, which is known as a very pet-friendly mall, and there are lots of other malls that don't allow dogs which they chose not to go to! If they can't stand dogs, the other side of the establishment had lots of vacant tables but they chose to stay where they stayed! Also, each time Odie barked, that brat of a monster-child made a remark, so in essence, the child was stupid for complaining about noise when her complaints were noisy as well! Little girl, I'm sorry that you're not cute, but if your level of discipline seems lower than my dog's, I think you and your mother should be alarmed.

I tried to compromise somehow by putting some treats in Odie's Kong. I also used my free hand to ask him for sits/stands/downs in exchange of treats. After finishing my dessert, I took him for a walk in the area, and we did some training exercises. We went back to our table to wrap up before leaving, and as the privileged party of four got up, the mom hit the chair with Odie's things, causing his water jug to fall, and spilled water on the floor. The monster child said, "It's THAT dog again!", and her mom told her to just pass the other way. No apologies. Like mother, like daughter, indeed.

My brother followed the family and talked to the mother in private, and all she said was that she was sorry for not knowing that the water spill was her fault. I guess I'm sorry that her daughter has no manners.

I found it very unsettling, that family's sense of entitlement. And really, how stupid are they for sitting next to a table with a dog, knowing that their little princess technically barks like a dog as well? Considering they have a kid like that, I wish all the best for their family's future.