When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with a stranger?
Last week, month, year… or pre-pandemic?
If you are a dog owner, there’s a great chance the answer could even be this morning.
It’s the reality of having to take our furry companions out and about every day. Rain or shine, they make us get up and out the door. By getting out and walking around the neighbourhood they serve as the ultimate connection to the community.
On the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, dozens of corgis — along with their humans — gathered in a Vancouver park to pay tribute to a woman whose enduring love for the short-legged dogs made the breed famous. https://t.co/WkivYFZ27F
— CTV News Vancouver (@CTVVancouver) September 18, 2022
In today’s context, people tend to look to their phone any time they have a second alone in public. On the train, waiting in line, and even while eating. Yet, it’s a lot harder to disengage from technology when your dog is happily prancing beside you, or yanking your left and right.
it’s not surprising that these community interactions happen more often for dog owners. Funnily enough, the conversation is often focused on the pets at first. Asking what the dog’s name is, the breed, and its personality all while watching them play. For whatever reason, it’s easier to breach that conversation barrier when the topic is about animals. Breaks the ice, eases some tension perhaps. Then I can introduce myself and see if they are in the mood to chat. Or, sometimes it takes a while to breach the person-person barrier, and you spend many subsequent walks saying “Oh here comes Bear and his owner” (to your dog of course).
These conversations also act as my community newspaper. Walking through my neighbourhood and stopping to talk to some familiar faces keep me in the loop. My wife and I are still new to our neighbourhood and getting out walking have been a great way to meet our new network. It feels good to interact with the community, especially with so many meaningless passing interactions these days.
Last thought (and I don’t think I am alone on this). It takes me one meeting to remember a dog’s name, every time, forever. But it can take many walk chats to really consolidate those owner names. No matter how many times I walk past “Bear’s house,” I always default to the pup. Am I alone in this or can you relate?