Standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

The other day, two women and a dog were standing right in the middle of the sidewalk. As tulia and I approached, one woman said, "We have a little dog here. I am holding it." Tulia had slowed down. At first, I thought she was distracted by the dog. She wasn't. The thing was, these two ladies and their dog were taking up most of the space on the sidewalk. tulia slowly and carefully moved over close to the curb. In order to get around them, she had to take me around a pole, then a tree, then a parking meter, then back to the middle. "Oh I just love watching those dogs work," one woman said. I stopped, turned back, smiled politely and suggested that they could have watched her work without taking up most of the sidewalk. It would make her job much easier. this whole time, their dog is barking and struggling and coughing. Tulia marched past it with a bit of a swagger and a glance back. As I talked to the women, she sat regally beside me, chin tilted up, still as a statue. "See how dogs should behave?" she is saying to that little dog. They didn't say anything to my request but tell their dog to be quiet and not bother the working dog. The dog didn't get the message but tulia and I moved on.