Chance Meeting

Consider the chance meeting of a dog and a man on the street. The man smiles and smacks his lips – a calming signal.

The man asks if he may pet the dog . The dog strains at the leash.
The man smiles, squats, and offers the back of this hand. No threat, no sudden moves. Soft words and a quick glance to determine the correct greeting. Good boy...nope, Good girl.

The owner stands straight and proud of his four-legged child and the man sees himself in the eyes of the dog and knows that he, too, would like to be greeted like this on the street by a stranger, and clicked at, and lips would smack, and he would be as calm and loved as the beast.