Of Confused Dogs and Butterfly Effects

As a rule, street dogs love me. They consider me part of an extended canine society.

When I return home at night, they charge at me from all over the place like long-lost twins. They try to climb all over me. They pull at my shirt to make me play with them. And they wag their tails so vigorously that their entire rumps move in time.

All very welcoming, of course.

What I forgot in this everyday routine was that these were all my friendly neighbourhood dogs.

On my way home, there is also this one dog whom I have never been able to befriend. It is rather strange how dogs too have specific natures. This one has taken a dislike to me at the first glance. If he sees me on the street, he barks hard enough to make people come out and take notice. And he keeps barking at me in a way that makes me want to slink away with my tail between my legs. I’m sure his ‘owner’ is convinced by now that I’m up to no good.

However, it is also a little embarrassing to change one’s route for no better reason than a perceived slight from a barking street dog. So I was returning home at my usual time the other night, weaving in and out of shadows thrown by trucks parked on the road, when my dog noticed me. As usual too, he erupted into a volley of gleeful barking.

Since I was still in the shadows, his companion – this one a friendly dog – heard the noise and came out barking too, to investigate. Soon as he saw me, the barking turned into a friendly yap, which of course confused the first dog, who was banking on reinforcements against me, not a Hallmark card. He turned on his friend with the glare reserved for turncoats, and subsided into desultory barks at me all by himself. Sort of a one-man army, so to say.

By this time, all the activity had percolated to the other side of the street. Three more dogs had heard the barking but couldn’t see me across the street. I was still hidden behind the trucks, and they were some distance away. They therefore thought the barking must have been after some passing car, so not to be left out, they started furiously chasing a random car coming down the street. I could see the driver was perplexed at the sudden hostility for no good reason at all.

I could have enlightened him, but some things are too convoluted. Just put it down to the Butterfly Effect.