We came across quite a number of people out walking their dogs through the forest trails yesterday and a fair number of others simply walking themselves through the ravine; far greater numbers than we would normally come across on a week day. It wasn't a particularly pleasant day; cool at 17C, and quite windy and overcast with a few sunny breaks. But there they were, surprisingly, people we knew and others randomly choosing to take a walk in the woods.

Before our circuit was over yesterday we became bystanders to an unfortunate occurrence. One where we completely empathized with a man we've known casually for several years as a regular ravine habitue with his three-year-old Golden retriever, Lilly, a very good-natured dog, as most of the breed tend to be. The fellow himself is a highly nervous type, even his face betrays his constant concerns that obviously bedevil him. He is not, actually, the kind of person we prefer to be around. In the presence of people under constant stress, the atmosphere becomes saturated with it.

And yesterday afternoon when we came across him for the second time within the hour, he was in a fury of bitter anger at another man we've known much longer and have passed many pleasant conversations with over the years. On this occasion, because of the reason for the other man's grievance against our older acquaintance and because we completely agreed with him we weren't feeling too generous about his behaviour and were led by sympathy to fully support the fellow whose anger stemmed from a genuine and absolutely supportable grievance.

It happens that our older acquaintance is a former military man, a man with a self-assured bearing, who happens as well to be tall, broad and physically imposing. He has a lovely dog of his own, actually hardly more than a puppy, although a large-breed dog. It's his second since we've known him and we know him to be a hard taskmaster, stern and demanding of his dogs. And he doesn't tolerate any dog that has the temerity to think it can approach him and leap toward him in a friendly manner, much less a dog, irrespective of how small, that will place its front paws on his lower leg, in expectation of a pat or a treat.

He brusquely shakes the impudent animal off his leg, and if it persists, will swat at it, hard. Most people who walk through the forest trails are accustomed to the presence of dogs. The more exuberant of the dogs tend to be the younger ones and there are times in an ecstasy of happiness those  young dogs will leap upon people, as though wanting to share their happiness with life, and certainly to be noticed. Most people don't mind. And most dog walkers take pains to instruct their dogs not to jump on people, but they don't always succeed.

Our friend's manner with our own two little dogs has angered me in the past and there have been times when I've been loathe as a result to much more than acknowledging his presence before steaming by on the trails. Jackie and Jillie have learned over time not to take the chance of taking liberties with this man by leaping toward his legs, of being kicked away. And we've cut him slack because, large and 'young' as he is, he wears a heart pacer, as a result of having suffered heart failure.

But the other fellow was quivering with anger. His second dog, an impulsively lively five-month-old Golden that he has named River, had indulged in a dip into the creek, despite being called away from the water. When the puppy made its way back up to the trail, he saw me first, and dripping with creek water, leaped at me, soaking my jeans and my sweater before leaping a little further along the trail to do the same with the former military man.

Who rebuffed the puppy violently. As it is, the puppy's person no longer speaks to the other as a result of incidents in the past where his dogs have been maltreated by the man he now became utterly furious with, shaking with the depth of his anger. And we completely understood how he felt, why he reacted as he did, leading us to go to some lengths to commiserate with him in attempts to help in soothing his feelings.

Animals act and react when they're young in response to their emotions and their inherent trust in humans. We can be annoyed with them, but never have true cause to be violent with them. That someone can value the presence of their own companion dog and treat those of others discourteously, and worse, with meting out physical punishment is completely unacceptable. It really is a shame that these two men have become alienated because of the thoughtless, potentially harm-inducing manner of one of them, who all the while believes there is nothing wrong with his behaviour.