Lucky People

Dateline: Venice, Florida

There are fortunate people in this world for whom rules and laws do not apply. Sometimes I wish I was one of them.  When I was on our quiet beach the other morning and encountered a lady with a large black dog, I was cross. There is a law here that says dogs may not use the beach. They have a dog beach not that far away.  If my neighbours walk their dogs they stick to the roads. But not this lady, oh no. When I asked her politely whether she had some kind of special permission to take her dog on the beach she said, "No, but he really doesn't like the dog beach; the other dogs chase him."  I suggested that, if everyone else took that attitude, where would we be? There are industrial quantities of dogs in Venice, dogs of all shapes and sizes. If they all decided the laws didn't apply to them, the beach would be bedlam.
And then last week there she was again and again this morning, or it was someone remarkably like her.  Aha - incriminating footprints ..

 And you can just about spot them under the pier but too far away to challenge. There appeared to be a companion too, perhaps for protection against the likes of me.

 But it wouldn't do any good. This person obviously has a blind spot when it comes to self-interest. I think of my friend whose dear old dog would probably love nothing more than to frolic on the beach but she keeps to the rules and doesn't take him there. Good on her.