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| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 |
| Ata and the Dog |
Or, Ata and the Stupid Annoying Supervisor Person.
You know the honesty boxes one sometimes sees, where you are expected to take lollies and leave payment in a little box on the side? They are often charity support fundraisers. Well, for a time, Ata had a job convincing business owners to let her put them in their businesses.
It was not one of Ata's greatest successes. She was paid $5 per box placed. On her first day, she went out with a supervisor who showed her the ropes. It was not complicated. Ata did well, and after half a day of box-placing, the two of them went back to the Office with glowing reports of Ata's box-placing abilities. A short while later, Ata was rostered on to go out by herself. For a whole day of walking up and down the street, Ata placed 6 boxes. She was expected to place 15-20. Her arm hurt (from carrying the fricking things on her hip as she marched up pavements and into businesses), her feet hurt (in an effort to appear more presentable, she had not considered that she would be walking all day and had chosen heeled shoes), and her ego had taken a severe battering. It was decided she needed more training.
This became the pattern of it. Ata would go out with the Supervisor, and do exceptionally well. The next week, Ata would go out on her own, and barely cover her fuel costs in commissions earned.
To make matters worse, Ata detested the Supervisor. At one premises - a small alfalfa-packing business, I think - they pulled up in the van outside the business, and Ata was dispatched inside carrying a box. A high cyclone-wire fence surrounded the premises, and as Ata approached, a dog appeared inside the fence.
Now, Ata is not afraid of dogs. Ata grew up in communities where snarling, fighting, mating, urinating camp dogs were constantly present. Usually mangey, scarred and fearful. Ata learned early on how to stare down cowardly curs, to steer well clear of Dogs One Does Not Know, and that most dogs can eventually be bought with food. The only dog her family ever kept once almost took a chunk from Ata's cheek - apparently in sheer high spirits whilst walking back from the shops one day, he leapt into the air and snapped at Ata's face. In Alice Springs, she would occasionally babysit for the neighbours, who kept a large German Shepherd called Kain. Kain had a kink in his tail - a keepsake from a previous, abusive owner - and defended his territory with enthusiasm and bared teeth. If one was inside the house, he was gentle as a lamb so Ata insisted that Kain was brought inside before she came over to babysit. While Ata was standing in the house chatting to the mother as she prepared to go out one night, Kain stepped quietly up beside Ata and took her hand in his jaws. Carefully but firmly, he pressed his great teeth into her skin and looked at her as if waiting to see what would happen. Ata looked down at the big dog and (fearing injury if she tried to pull away) also waited to see what would happen. The mother and her boyfriend noticed, and Kain was summarily detached from Ata's hand with no damage other than teeth-prints. Later that evening, Ata watched TV with Ruby the chihauhua on her lap and Kain's huge head on her knee. Ata is not afraid of dogs, but she does know that they can be... unpredictable.
Anyway, as I was saying. The dog inside the fence was a big dog of the guard variety - German Shepherd or Dobermann, one forgets which. Ata paused at the open gate and spoke softly to the animal. It was barking and snarling, warning that Ata was about to enter it's home ground. Ata stood still for a moment so the dog could see she intended no particular threat. From behind her, then, came another bark. Ata turned slightly. It was the Supervisor. He barked at Ata and laughed and shouted comments about being afraid of liddle doggies. Ata looked back at the actual dog. It curled back it's lips to show all the teeth down the sides of the jaw, and made that gutteral snarling noise that suggests more bite than bark. Ata stepped forward slowly and calmly, two steps, avoiding eye contact and keeping her hands still. The dog backed away and relaxed, and Ata went inside.
On return to the van, Ata got a lecture about Being Afraid of Dogs and how All Dogs Are Cowards and the like.
Ata DETESTED that man. |
posted by Ata @ 4:40 pm  |
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| 3 Comments: |
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Did that job end when the Supervisor was knocked unconscious by a box of lollies?
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The job ended when Ata went on holidays. She said, I will call you when I get back...
And she never did. I do not think they were too upset.
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Argh. I detest people like that as well. People who haven't the slightest idea of how to read or respond to dog body language, and who make stupid remarks or lunge stupidly at the dog or run stupidly away. Then the dog gets angry and chases or bites or both, and the dog is considered 'dangerous' and put down while the stupid person goes on to sully the name of all dogs as a result.
Gah. People who have no understanding of dogs and yet pronounce judgement on them as a result of their own stupidity annoy and anger me like little else.
And I have nothing but respect and admiration for people like Ata, who pay attention to dog body language and act sensibly. That's all the dog is asking, after all.
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Did that job end when the Supervisor was knocked unconscious by a box of lollies?