Cruella Has Moved On From Dalmatians

(My dog is grey with black spots all over, making her look like a dark Dalmatian. Her unusual markings get her a lot of attention and I’m used to answering a ton of questions about her, some of which get strangely personal, but only one woman has ever gotten really creepy about it.)

Woman: “Oh, my God! Your dog is beautiful! What kind is she?”

Me: “Thank you! She’s an Australian Shepard, Sheltie, and lab mix.”

Woman: “Oh, wow. Where did you get her?”

Me: “A friend of ours owns her mother; it’s how we’re so sure of her breeds.”

Woman: “Excellent! How much are they charging for them?”

Me: *not really understanding her* “I’m sorry? Charging for what?”

Woman: “For the puppies! I want one just like yours!”

Me: “Um, well, it was just my dog and her brother I’m afraid; there aren’t any more puppies.”

Woman: *cutting me off* “No, no, I mean when is the next litter expected?”

Me: *realizing this woman thinks my friend is a dog breeder* “Oh, no! I think we’ve gotten a little mixed up here. My friend isn’t breeding them; her dog just got pregnant unexpectedly.”

Woman: *suddenly angry* “Well, tell her she should! People would pay a lot of money for dogs like that!”

Me: “Umm, okay… They probably won’t go for it, though.”

(Not only are my friends not interested in breeding for money, but their dog was believed to be sterile and the pregnancy almost killed the poor dog, so I doubt they’d subject her to that again!)

Woman: *already moving forward aggressively* “Can I at least pet your dog? She’s just so cute!”

Me: *remembering all the horror stories I’ve heard about dog-napping* “Uh, she really doesn’t like strangers, and in fact, I really need to be going!”

(I pretty much ran away from her at that point, eager to not deal with her anymore, but not before I heard one last, “Your friend really SHOULD breed them!” Later, when relating the tale to my father, he proceeded to spend the next five minutes lecturing my dog about how she’d just narrowly avoided getting turned into a coat by Cruella DeVil. Now, whenever my dog misbehaves, I remind her of what a lovely coat she’d make!)