<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT size=2>Okay, one more. I = pulled into a rural (what else) driveway only to have to huge Dobermans come bounding = out to the driver's side of the car. Very intimidating, to be = sure.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT = size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT size=2>They were barking = but didn't seem to be in a threat or guard-dog posture (no, I don't know what I = mean either, they just didn't look like trouble). I opened my door just a = crack to see what they'd do. Here came about 8 inches of sloppy pink = tongue--lickety, lick.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT = size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT size=2>I told the owner = "If you were counting on these as guard dogs, I've got bad news for you." She laughed = and said, "Oh, yeah. They're just a couple of wimps."</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT = size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT size=2>I think I know why = the Thumpster has trouble with dogs. He tries to win them over with big, = succulent pieces of tofu.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT = size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT size=2>Alan Barnard</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT size=2>Salem, = MO</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046443214-05032003><FONT color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT = face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> = pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>John Ross<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, March 05, 2003 12:47 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Good dogs, was Bad = day!<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV>Hi Mike,</DIV> <DIV>You were lucky.</DIV> <DIV>It took the owners 15 mins. to find my shoes, after their dog, = took and hid them. It had chewed the laces too.</DIV> <DIV>Have you ever tried to buy, good replacement laces?</DIV> <DIV>I have been nipped a couple of times, by those yippy, little = small dogs. It seems the smaller they are, the noisier they are.</DIV> <DIV>I had a bite from a bigger one, that ripped my pants, and my leg = had a red mark, but it didn't break the skin. The owner wrote me a cheque = for a new pair of pants, and when I go now, the dog is locked up in another = room. </DIV> <DIV>I like dogs, and the majority of times there is no problem. But = it still pays to be wary.</DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV>John M. Ross<BR>Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada<BR><A = href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca</A></DIV>= <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=mjbkspal@execpc.com = href="mailto:mjbkspal@execpc.com">Mike Spalding</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=kevin.e.ramsey@cox.net href="mailto:kevin.e.ramsey@cox.net">Kevin E. Ramsey</A> ; <A title=pianotech@ptg.org = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, March 05, = 2003 2:11 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Good dogs, was = Bad day!</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Last stop today, Aeolian spinet 50 = cents flat.  By far the most inviting part of the job was Mel the Spaniel.  Owner kept calling her back to the kitchen so she = wouldn't "bother" me.  I would rather have had Mel's company during that = unpleasant tuning job.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Earlier this year, took my shoes = off at the door, kneeling by the piano opening my tool kit, all of a sudden = there's a Retriever in my face trying to give me back one of my = shoes!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mike</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- = </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=kevin.e.ramsey@cox.net = href="mailto:kevin.e.ramsey@cox.net">Kevin E. Ramsey</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, March 04, = 2003 7:52 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Bad day!</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR>FWIW, I get a whole = lot of pleasure from the friendships I've made with<BR>piano owners' pets = and children during my visits.  Couldn't imagine<BR>excluding = them from my practice.<BR><BR>Mike Spalding RPT<BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Mike, I too = have fun with people's pets. I've never met a dog that I couldn't have playing = with me and licking my hand within about a minute. I don't know what it = is, I've had people say "He doesn't usually warm up to people like = this."  Clue, they're just big kids, even the little ones. They want = someone to pay attention to them. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY>= </HTML>