As some of you may have seen, I tweeted out Tuesday about a random woman berating me for leaving Ratchet dog in the car (this is the unabbreviated version also known as why I needed a blog):

I’m rounding up the kids to head to the car and take E to camp. Ratchet begs to come. I think: It’ll be a quick drop off and maybe we can go on a walk afterwards with N. (my thoughts are deep)

We all pile in, hit every stoplight and arrive late. I leave Ratchet in the car with all four windows down (high of 89 degrees that day. just giving you all the data in which to judge me).

I’m within eyesight the entire time. I’m gone less than five minutes.

Or I would’ve been if old-lady-with-a-chip-on-her-shoulder hadn’t showed up.

Internet troll with an ABC (in the communist state of Virginia liquor stores are state-run) name tag steps into the lobby of the camp: Do you know who owns the white car out there?

While holding my daughter and thinking that I must’ve left the lights on or did such a remarkable parking job that she came in to ask for pointers, I say: Me.

Internet troll (okay I’ll stop calling her that. don’t want to bias you): Your dog’s in the car.

Me: Yes. {I look out the window expecting to see something awful going on with Ratchet. Because I CAN SEE HIM from the lobby.}

Internet troll, I mean, Random woman: It’s illegal to leave him in your car.

Me {confused}: It’s not illegal, ma’am. I was just dropping my son off at camp {gesture about} and I’ve only been gone five minutes.

Random woman {getting angry}: Well, the car can get up to 115 degrees in less than five minutes.

Me: That’s why I left all the windows down, ma’am.

Random woman: Look how hard he’s panting!

Me: He’s a dog. Dogs pant. He pants all the time, ma’am.

Random woman starts to leave and says over her shoulder: Someone should lock YOU in a car.

Me {shocked. which is difficult to do.}: What makes you think you can speak to me that way?

Door slams shut on my sentence and she goes back to work.

A minute later, I walk to my car and she and her fellow worker stare out the window. At me. I sit in the car with it off for another five minutes. The car is still cooler than outside the entire time.

I finally turn on the car and drive past the ABC store.

And wave.

So I ask, should I have my dog poop in her store?

Because she STILL irritates me. And I have to go back to that parking lot at least five more times this month so there is plenty of chances for revenge.

My ideas:

• I’ve thought about having my dog in the car EVERY SINGLE TIME I’m in that parking lot.
• I’ve thought about bringing my dog into the ABC store.
• I’ve thought about punching her in the face.
• I’ve thought about writing her place of employment.

What have you thought about?

PS. In all seriousness, how long can I leave a dog in the car? What outside temperature precludes it? Google is NOT helpful. Also, I’m open to being wrong in this situation. Although I still maintain that coming into the lobby of my son’s camp and speaking to me like that in front of my daughter stopped being about the welfare of my dog long before she marched out of the building.  But mostly I’d like revenge ideas.

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