My Friday: Blocked in by a meth-head, attacked by a pit bull, and beat up by a tattooed behemouth

safe at home
@TheHorse (206469)
Walnut Creek, California
November 7, 2015 10:55am CST
My Friday ended rather strangely. I had just dropped off my afternoon kid client when I returned to my SUV, only to find it blocked in by a small sedan. The Mexican guys on the balcony were telling me in broken English that I'd stolen someone's parking place and that she was mad. They laughed. I said "Gracias" and saw an angry looking woman walking a massive pit bull. Oh snap, she's the one with that shirtless multi-tattoooed boyfriend, I thought. I approached her and asked "Is that your car?" in my most neutral voice. "You're in my parking place," she said, trying to sound angry. "Oh sorry," I said. "I was just dropping off a kid." She tried to muster a bit more anger, but couldn't, as by then her huge dog, with its massive square head, had come over and was beating me with its (not clipped) tail, which was wagging wildly. "He has to do his business, then I'll move my car," she said flatly, possibly trying to punish me a bit further for my parking atrocity. "Oh, did you get to have a glorious pee, and you're glad to see mom?" I said to the dog in my talking-to-a-dog voice, who licked my hand and continued to beat me with his wagging tail. He seemed to be enjoying life in general. By then, her anger was gone. "They're really tight about parking places here," she said. "No way for me to know where guest parking is?" I asked. "At my place, they're the ones with no roofs." "No, they don't make it clear," she replied. Within a couple of minutes, she had unblocked me, and I was out of there, listening to jazz on KCSM, and looking forward to a glass of wine. My worst-case scenario hadn't materialized, and I was glad that I am generally pretty good at diffusing awkward situations. And that dogs tend to like me.
10 people like this
11 responses
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
7 Nov 15
A soft voice turneth away wrath. Even with dogs that seems to work.
2 people like this
• Greece
8 Nov 15
@TheHorse That is true, an image that works well in one situation does not work so well in another. If she loved that dog she must have had a heart and so must he.
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
Very true! The friendliness of the dog also made me think that neither she nor her tattooed boyfriend were as "tough and mean" as they tried to appear, living in that poor neighborhood.
5 people like this
@sallypup (58118)
• Centralia, Washington
7 Nov 15
You live and work in an interesting area. I'm glad that the pup only beat you up with his tail.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
Yeah, my line of work takes me into some interesting parts of town. Sometimes I think: "I'm getting too old for this."
@sallypup (58118)
• Centralia, Washington
7 Nov 15
@TheHorse I'm delighted that my hubby stays put at the welfare office and does not make house calls. That sounds snotty, I suppose, but I'm still happy about it. I don't think I could be a police person's spouse.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
@sallypup I would not want to be a police officer, especially in the current political environment. I think being a psychologist is a bit easier, because people don't see me as "the man" or "the enemy." I get some dangerous looks in dangerous neighborhoods, but I'm generally OK so long as I stay focused on taking care of business.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
7 Nov 15
I wouldn't have blocked you unless there was absolutely nowhere else to park.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
It's possible that she wasn't being aggressive, but was really too scared to park somewhere else. It sounded like there had been issues there about people parking in others' spaces.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (459161)
• Switzerland
7 Nov 15
Wow, congratulations, you were able to keep your calm and everything went smoothly.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
Yeah, I've always been pretty good at "conflict resolution." Plus we were trained in that area when I worked for CDCR.
2 people like this
• Greece
8 Nov 15
@LadyDuck I am wary of pit bulls but people tell me they are fine, I think the problem comes when they are abused or trained to attack.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (459161)
• Switzerland
8 Nov 15
@TheHorse I fear some dog breeds, among them the pit bulls. As I know that the dogs can feel when you are scared of them, I try to keep the distances.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (326127)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Nov 15
Glad it ended well. Some dogs just about bruise me with their tails. Not to mention being a hazard around coffee tables.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Nov 15
This guy would have swept off a coffee table in 15 seconds.
1 person likes this
@Auntylou (4264)
• Oxford, England
7 Nov 15
Oh I am so glad this did not turn out to be a horror story. You handled it well :o)
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
Thanks. I do have the occasional strange interaction in this line of work. I'll have to write about the guy who got out of his car to attack me in Oakland but stopped when he saw I was writing his license plate number on my hand. To get rid of the evidence he would have had to ether get rid of my body or wash my hands with hot soapy water right there on San Pablo Avenue!
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
11 Nov 15
I think you handled the situation very well. And the dog liking you and all,was in your favor.
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Nov 15
I was relieved that the dog was friendly and not "trained to kill" or anything like that.
• Greece
8 Nov 15
That was an unnerving experience handled with great skill. Dogs help but I think you have yourself to pat on the back.
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Nov 15
I'm really glad it turned out well.
@jstory07 (134622)
• Roseburg, Oregon
7 Nov 15
I would have just ignored her and sit in my car until she got out of the way.
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
But, according to my "training," that would have been "passive-aggressive" behavior on my part, and might have made her angrier. Plus, she had the upper hand, having me blocked in. By confronting her in a non-threatening way, I was able to get my needs met without dis-empowering her in any way. It was win-win.
2 people like this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
8 Nov 15
it sounded horrific... i'm glad it didn't turn out that way... and that you were able to diffuse the situation.... and sweet talk the human and the dog... lol
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Nov 15
I'm glad it turned out well too. As you would expect, my mind was processing the various things that might happen as I walked toward her.
1 person likes this
7 Nov 15
I wasn't sure what was going to happen by your title! I'm glad all ended well! whew. it all is a matter of how we handle these situations, isn't it? I had something SORT OF similar last week with a friend who was overreacting about something. she tends to do that & often loses friendships because of it. Well, i managed to keep a level head & diffused it as well with understanding and a hug. :-)
7 Nov 15
@TheHorse God knows that I have been the one to overreact before as well. :-) We watched this funny video on youtube where this guy was pranking people. And some people got super angry (which I get), but some seemed to immediately overreact by things like punching, threatening, etc. It spoke volumes to me in how things can go wrong!
@TheHorse (206469)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Nov 15
Understanding and a hug.That's about as good as it gets. Many people who overreact just feel unheard, I think. They just need to vent and to know that they're OK. What they say (if some of it is directed at you) can't be taken personally.
1 person likes this