Yesterday, as I was pulling up to the front of our house, a human with her dog were walking toward my direction. Familiar with some of the dogs in the village, I’ve not seen this one before. It’s a Welsh corgi. Fine looking dog, I’d say. When they got nearer, I tried to pet him(!) and seemed to like it. I asked for his name.

"Bax," the human told me. I called out the name.

"Baxter," the human again. Oh so he’s got a nickname, too, I thought.

"Hi Bax. Hey Baxter!" He wags his… wait, he wagged his behind.

Well, did you notice what’s wrong with my story? The dog had a name and a nic, even. The human didn’t. Should I had followed up with, "Btw, I didn’t get your name." "Enchanté, lovely name." "You work around here?" "Single?"

Let me ruin your imagination here. But is it rude to ask for a dog’s name and leave the human nameless? Is this a case of human rights vs. animal rights?

I’m reminded of a European volunteer in our community many years ago who beat up an office janitor for kicking a dog. I am not that bad, won’t do such a dastardly act. But let me ask: is there a protocol that should be followed when asking for a dog’s name?

It must be the caffeine kicking in why I asked but just in case, let me know. Cheers!

p.s. In hindsight, did I misinterpret the human? Is it possible that Bax was the dog’s and Baxter her name? Darn!

#MyCafeNotes