Houndsight

On my way out to the parking lot after lunch with some friends today, I noticed a man sitting at an outside table. There were two beautiful dogs tied to the wrought iron fence near him. Of course, being the dog lover I am, I wanted to give them a friendly scratch-behind-the-ears hello. And being the puppy raiser I am, I know it's only appropriate to do so after having asked permission. There were a few other people sitting outside, so I wanted to make sure I was asking the right person.

"Do they belong to you?" I inquired, smiling.

"They belong to themselves."

(Gosh! I wonder why this guy was sitting all alone?)

What I said, smiling politely and making a joke: "I meant, 'Are they here with you?'"

What I SHOULD HAVE said, smiling politely and absolutely serious: "Oh! Then you won't mind if I untie them, fling their collars and tags into the trash can, buy them a taco and invite them to live with me."