Three Men and a Baby

Remember the movie titled Three Men and a Baby?  Remember when the single guys took the baby to Central Park and how single women flocked to them?  Well, the same thing happens when you take a 5 pound chihuahua into a store.  :)

Sometimes when I run errands I take Stanley along.  Starbucks drive through, Home Depot, post office, garden store across town, dry cleaners, another Starbucks drive through.....  He stays still and quiet in my arms...he's really good when I take him out.  However, when men approach me look out!  Bark, bark, bark.  Do male dogs know the difference between human females and human males?  I think so.  Do dogs know the difference between a friendly "just saying hello" male and a "hey, baby" male?  Yes....I think so too.

I admit it is difficult to see Stanley and not want to say hello or pet him.  To me, he is irresistible...lol, but it's not just me.  Other people love Stanley too.  I find it interesting though how guys react to Stanley.  For instance, guys flirt when I am alone however when I am with Stanley guys take a step back and approach me differently. I've learned that I actually can use Stanley defensively.  For instance, there is this great garden and patio store across town that I've been shopping at for a long time.  However, the store has an employee (who I will call Steven) who makes me uncomfortable and who doesn't take hints.  Steven always wants a hug and wants to stand close to me and touch my shoulder or back.  I'm like "what in the world?...this is crazy."  At first I sent signals to Steven to stop it, but he didn't get my message.  Next, I said something about him watching his boundaries with a customer, but he pretended to not understand (English is Steven's second language...he speaks Spanish).  I found myself stressed when I shopped there and started ordering things over the phone rather than going into the store.  Finally I had had enough and I took Stanley into the store with me to create a barrier between us.  It worked!!

Steven approached me with his slanted smile and started to reach out his arms.  Well, Stanley went nuts and started barking and rearing up.  Steven was stunned at the impediment and realized that there was a new sheriff in town and he wasn't getting through.  Ha!...take that!  Needless to say, Stanley loves going to that speciality garden store across town and I make sure to always take him.