A very common question for me to be asked while out tuning is “are you ok with dogs?” This seems strange to me, because by the time the question is asked the dog in question is normally already all up in my business, often barking loudly, and it would be a bit late to be asking if I wasn’t ok.
I must say, I’m very grateful that I rarely have issues with pets, I’m no dog lover, but I don’t mind them. If a pet is loud, customers are generally very good at keeping them locked in a room at the other end of the house, but generally, quieter pets are left to wander into the room while I’m tuning if they want to.
Often, if they want to see who this stranger is, they’ll wander over to the doorway, glare at me for a few minutes as if I’m doing something wrong, and then wander off. But occasionally I get cats and dogs who want a bit more attention. I’ve had both dogs and cats who will sit on the floor by my feet staring at me, I’ve had dogs jumping up and resting their front paws on my legs giving me mournful eyes as if a scratch behind their ears will bring about world peace, but this cat is possibly the most persistent I’ve had.
It wandered in and out of the room a few times, assessing me, checking to see if I was doing a good job. Then it wandered over to me and looked at me for a few minutes. Then it surprised me by jumping into my lap and looking me straight in the eyes as if to say “I’ve given you plenty of opportunities to play with me and you haven’t taken it willingly. Well I’m here now. Give me attention!”