Several weeks ago, I took Oscar for our daily afternoon walk on a Sunday afternoon. Walking up Bleecker Street, we passed the new Coach store between Charles and Perry streets. Oscar made a beeline for the door, jumped onto the step, and plowed into the store. This was somewhat unusual, as we’d never been in this store before, but Oscar clearly knew something I didn’t. ”Come on, let’s go,” I tugged his leash, but it was too late - the horde of store clerks had spotted his irresistable face and were fawning over him. After all, could you resist this face?
When one of the saleswomen gushed “Oh - does he want a TREAT?” Oscar immediately planted himself and eagerly put on his best smile. The girl brought over a biscuit the size of Oscar’s head, as he wagged his tail, and I made him perform a few of his classic tricks - high five, kiss - before allowing him to accept the biscuit. Unable to bite the oversized treat despite his best efforts, he laid it politely at the saleslady’s feet and gave her the puppy dog eyes.
“You need me to break it for you?” She seemed a little unsure, as it was now covered in doggy drool - but gamely broke the dog biscuit into Oscar-sized chunks, which he promptly devoured.
I finally managed to drag Oscar out of the store and continue our walk, which lasted about 10 more feet until we got to the second half of the Coach store which has it’s own entrance! Oscar tried to make another dash in, but I persuaded him to continue up Bleecker. We made it about another block before he snuck right into Olive & Bette’s when a customer opened the door as we were walking by.
I shook my head, held the door open, and tried to tug him, but again it was too late. “OHHHHHH- does he want some treats?!?!” An exited clerk squealed. I smiled meekly, as Oscar was making himself an immovable object, and she continued “they’re right here - here you go,” and gave Oscar a dog biscuit. I dragged him out the door, and had no idea how much trouble I was in now - the little guy instantly added the stores to his mental list of “places to drag Dad to” on every walk - and this was one of my favorite areas to walk!
The following day, Oscar faked me out by NOT pulling me toward the Coach store until we got within a distance that was strategically chosen by him - he knew that we were close enough that it was a better idea for me to give up and just go into the store than to try to fight with him for the entire course of the walk. An entirely new batch of salesmen fawned all over him, and gave him the same monster biscuit.
After exiting, I managed to keep him out of Olive & Bette’s this time, but being naive, I was thinking about how cute it was, instead of how much of a monster I was creating - until I got home and Anya chided me for exactly that - and rightly so. “It’s like he’s Trick-or-Treating!” She told me - and it was - the little monster would go door to door flashing his smile, wagging his stubby little tail, and gulping down treats! Now I had a new job - undoing the damage I’d created.
For the next several walks - I made it a point to win the battle of wills with Oscar. We didn’t go into Coach, Olive & Bette’s, or any of the other stores in the Treat Gauntlet on the West side of Bleecker, despite his pleadings. He’d sit down and plant himself. I’d wait, then pull him away. We’d walk on the other side of the street, and he’d try to make a beeline across the street when we were opposite Coach. I’d wait, then pull him away.
Never ceasing to surprise me, Oscar retailiated on the next walk by making a surprise, untelegraphed dash into the Steve Madden store, which is a block South of Coach, and on the opposite side of the street. I shook my head, as the lady inside asked “Oh - how cute - does he want…” “NO!“ I cut her off before she could get out the “T” word. “I’m trying to break him of some bad habits - but thank you,” I explained myself.
I don’t know how Oscar knew that he could get treats at Steve Madden too - it’s another store we’ve never been in - but clearly he is either the canine world’s foremost treat psychic, or he can smell the markings of a plethora of other dogs who’ve been in and out of the stores in question.
Here’s a picture of Oscar taken while I was writing this post…
