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Monday, November 24, 2008

Man and Companion, on the Sidewalk

Man with Dog
Photo by myself on Broadway and 8th Street.

A man and his dog sought the kindness of strangers Sunday afternoon.

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Self-described as 'not homeless but very badly off', this gentleman was sitting with his dog on the sidewalk. The dog was an American Bulldog, and jumped out from under several layers of blankets when I stopped to talk. They commuted into Manhattan from the Bronx to earn their keep.

The man (I forgot to ask his name) told me about the violence he sometimes encounters on the streets, and that his canine companion has defended him on more than one occasion. We had a friendly chat, mostly about his dog, which was huge and extremely friendly.

It was a cold afternoon. As we parted, the man promised they would not stay outside long.

Related posts: Life in High Contrast, Keeping Your Dogs in a Row, and Our Four-Legged Friends.

7 comments:

Olivier said...

beau portrait en b&w.

Catz said...

Really lovely picture. His delight in being acknowledged and given some respect is so apparent.

dianasfaria.com said...

they both look so happy. there is something to said about the kindness of strangers. you are a sweet person Kitty!

Mom Knows Everything said...

I thought he was wearing some kind of uniform from his jacket. That was nice you stopped to talk to him. That probably made him feel good.

fishwithoutbicycle said...

He does look very cheerful that you stopped to chat. You're so sweet Kitty, I would have been so put off by the look of that dog, friendly or not I find those types of dogs a bit scary

Fashion Schlub said...

such a handsome boy! the dog...

i always wonder what someone like that earns in a day. i always suspect they could be making more money than I, while I'm maintaining a fulltime job AND a fulltime business!

Kitty said...

Thanks Oliver!

Hi Catz
Thanks so much. I'm glad I got a good picture of them...the dog was squirming all over the place

Hi Lily
Thank you! The man perked up, which is nice. He was a very nice fellow and I'm all the better for meeting them

Hi Tammy
thanks dear. There are a lot of vets I see around but I'm not sure he's one of them. I think the insignias are one way for him to connect with people though.

Thanks dear Fish
I know what you mean...the bigger dogs can be unpredictable and this one was strong. Both seemed rather friendly before I talked to them so I knew what I was getting into.

lol Bettye...
There was an article in the NYTimes a while back about kids who were homeless in NY and earned enough money to have cell phones. Somehow, I don't think the same can be said now