Let's just get it out of the way. I'll say it. The postman is a wuss.

Encountering dogs whilst delivering the mail is one of my least favorite things. I make my best effort to talk to dogs that bark at me from behind a door or gate or fence. Yesterday I had the pleasure of petting a very cute baby rottweiler that a woman was taking for a walk. It was nice change from the experience I had 2 weeks ago.

A couple Mondays ago I was making my way down a street that I had delivered to a couple years ago. I had an experience on this particular street with a dog that was chained up in the front yard. The leash gave the dog freedom to move about the entire front yard without actually leaving the property. The dog was a larger breed and had a mean bark. I was unable to deliver the mail because the dog just wasn't friendly. After a day or two of no mail delivery I happened to be delivering to that street when the lady of the house was in the front yard. I explained why they hadn't been receiving their mail and she gave me permission to put their mail in the neighbours box if I wasn't comfortable trying to deliver with the dog there.

So anyway, I was making my way down this street and remembered that these people like to chain their dog up in the front yard. Sure enough the dog was in the front, laying in the middle of the yard. As I approached I could see the dog watching me. I was feeling brave, thinking the dog was actually on a leash but decided to play it safe and skipped the house. As I began to make my way up the walk to the next house the dog began to bark and came running straight toward me. The dog wasn't on a leash! Teeth bared and barking like crazy the dog made it known that I was not welcome to be there. Fortunately I was able to yell loudly enough to make the dog leave me alone. Close call.

That brings me to today. I was in a completely different neighbourhood this afternoon and was so close to being finished delivery. Enjoying the beautiful weather the chinook brought and totally distracted by the song that was stuck in my head all day ("Seventy six trombones led the big parade with a hundred and ten cornets close at hand" - too much of The Music Man) I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings. As I made my way up a walk I suddenly heard what can only be described as a snort. But it wasn't the snort you'd heard from a pig. It was more of an exhale, like something you'd hear from a bull. I guess it could have been a muffled growl of some kind. Whatever it was it got my attention.

As I turned around I saw, standing in the middle of the road, what looked like a wolf. I nearly peed. The dog didn't move and didn't bark. It stood there, frozen like all those creatures in that scene from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Talk about creepy. I continued up the walk to the house I was approaching with one eye on the mail, one eye on the dog, one eye on the mail box and one eye on the slippery sidewalk. When I turned I began to wonder whether the dog would attack or run off or remain frozen in the middle of the street (and then get hit by a car! Please Jesus let it be that!). The only thing I could think to do was to yell at the wolf dog to go home. Because we all know that wolfs are trained to go home when you tell them to. I was surprised to learn it worked. As soon as I yelled a couple times for it to go home the dog merrily scampered down the street and disappeared. Nervous that the dog would return I kept careful watch of the street when I heard the click of a screen door. The sound of the dog being let in. And I was free to live another day.