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Taking the dog out this evening and I headed up the hill to the park. I was listening to Richard Osman and Marina Hyde talking about the fashion for American celebs to have British boyfriends. On a podcast. They weren't with me.
Unusually for this podcast it was a subject that wasn't gripping me, but Osman seemed to be treating it with an element of disdain, which made it a bit more enjoyable. Wolfie was on the extendable lead ahead of me and we got to a slight bend in the road. A kid on a bike came careering down the pavement and missed Wolfie by a whisker, though things might have been bad for him (and us) if he'd hit the dog lead too.
Before I could say anything another kid on a bike, also choosing to ride on the pavement came at full pelt at us, but managed to dodge out the way. It was typical childhood idiocy - having a race on the pavement down a hill in the dark, maybe even without lights on their bike (though it was so quick I can't be sure about that) and luckily no harm was done, but they came very close to hurting my dog and themselves.
I thought about what I would have done if one of them had hit Wolfie. At that speed they would have knocked us both over, but also gone flying down the pavement and probably head first into a parked car. Who would I have gone to check on first? Would I have rushed to check Wolfie's injuries or would my first impetus be to check the stupid, reckless child was OK?
I couldn't be sure.
I love Wolfie and nobody in this world loves me more than Wolfie. if she had been hurt or killed I think it would have been tough not to make her my priority. My instinct in the moment, after an event that I probably wouldn't fully immediately comprehend would be to help her.
But that would look bad if a child was lying injured in the road, even if the whole incident was their fault. I mean, I think I would realise that in under one second. But this should be one of those moral dilemma problems. Do you first help the innocent dog that you love or the reckless child that you don't know, who is entirely to blame for the situation?
What would you do?
And how would you feel if it was your kid and someone was more upset about their dog?
As it was, no harm was done with this bit of youthful stupidity and I just lamely shouted "Watch out" at the second cyclist and moved on with the dog walk. I didn't have to deal with any parents asking me why I'd comforted my dying dog, instead of calling an ambulance for their broken-necked son. In another Universe they got a really excellent Warming Up though.
