Tote Them Tiny Terrors

They are everywhere. You don't have to walk more than a few feet and you will spot one of these poor little things.

Dogs.

Okay, that's not such an unusual thing in most cases -- but this is a pack of puny pooches the likes of which I had never seen before.

Miami is a city of contrasts - and a place where many live in apartment complexes and high rises. Unlike life in the burbs this means reduced space and as such you learn to live with less, tote around less.  In other words, you downsize, and that's cool.

But in the case of pets, that's another story. Yes, those too are downsized -- but in a way that ends up not being terribly pleasant to the petite pooches.

Most of these Tiny Terrors (and yes I'm thinking of you Donna K.M. when I use those words) belong to women.

The cute critters are dragged at the end of a leash as the lady trots down the street staring at her smart phone. Meanwhile Fido or Fifi is doing his/her level best to keep up, little legs moving a bazillion times a minute. You can see them panting as they struggle, owner clueless to the Herculean effort the compact guys/gals are putting forth.

Worst of all are the heart-wrenching sights as the mighty-mites try to negotiate themselves over the curb, the puppy equivalent of Everest.

One solution appears occasionally in the form of a carriage, which the humans push along as the mini-mutt sits not walking at all.

But this is a stupid solution in my view.

Presumably, the reason behind the walk is for the dog to get some exercise. 

Putting it into a carriage seems to be counter productive. Perhaps the humans think they are being kind to the animal by stashing it into a contraption with wheels. Let's not talk about the million dollar industry that pets represents, carriages and all. (I mean the dog would not have any clue if the carriage once carried a Barbie doll, now would it?)

But wouldn't it simply be better all around for the human to figure out that since the little dog can only manage to walk a city block before it conks out-- then why not only walk it for that distance?

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to pick up the poor thing and take it from the clueless chick more embroiled in her cell phone than the little animal who just wants to be with its human. The traffic, the noise, the water from the frequent rains that nearly drown them -- come on, people, pick up your diminutive dog and tote it?

Or even better, put down the phone and pay attention to it and your surroundings?

Woof, woof.

Amen, and pass the mustard.