one dog spies another dog and begins to
fuss and growl while pulling,
               himself taller, with the leash now as straight
              as a stick. Two other small dogs hardly
notice him or each other as both make eye contact
with their owners; as one walks north and the other
                                                           ­               south.

one dog meets another dog on the sidewalk,
while owners
talk
                  dogs circle the wagons on
                   leashes on an ever decreasing circle, the tangle of
words
                   is emphasized in the tangle of leashes.

They part ways, these aren't strays, next encounter is more
civil,
            one owner drops the leash of his loved pet and the cars
             **** by oblivious to the animal detente which has just been
                initiated, as they stand side by side and nose to the others' tail,
a peaceful
                    quiet greeting, as equals.  Accepted into the pack.

I watched as I was (s)trolling, wondering what my dog would make of this
trio of dog friends she hasn't even met yet... she would be made to sit
from a safe distance and then the wilful wire fox terrier of mine
would lunge
like she
was in the
Canadian tundra
at an annual
sledge pulling
contest...
with me the only
weight
holding her back!  

So if we greeted one another like dogs,
.
.
.
no not that way...
what were you thinking?
Greet one another accepting the
the worst, to better appreciate the better,
and then work toward making the
encounter, the relationship, the future, the best!