A wave of confusion

DOG owners generally develop some very odd habits; purposefully leaving a bit of whatever they eat to offer to their mutt, for example.

It becomes an automatic reflex, done at every mealtime without conscious thought - to the extent that some will do it in posh restaurants.  You'll spy them squirrelling pieces of meat and other tasty morsels into their napkins and then smuggling that into handbags.

But the habit which confuses me the most, perhaps, is something the village-based dog owner will do when out walking with their trusty four-legged sidekick.

You'll see it in little villages and parishes throughout the UK.

Drive past them, and 98 per cent of the time, the walker will stop with their dog, watch you pass, and wave at you.

For years I have driven past people in my local village, thought they recognised me and were just being neighbourly as they waved.

I now know this is not the case. Travelling through random villages from the comfort of my five-door hatchback, I  have witnessed owner after owner stop and perform this choreographed oddity. 

I have no idea why they do this. They don't know me.  They often look quite proud as they do it: "Yup, I'm walking my dog... got my pockets full of biscuits, and any minute now I am going to be crouching in the muddy undergrowth with a little sandwich bag clearing up the end result of feeding my dog too many biscuits."

They could be doing it to thank me for not hitting their dog with my car I guess. But surely it would make more sense to wave in advance, just to make sure I have noticed and can swerve away from them if needs be?

Absurdly, I will wave back. It's like a rather rubbish, canine-related, two-man Mexican wave. And just like a Mexican wave you get swept up in the moment and then feel a little bit disorientated and grubby afterwards.

I've joined friends walking their dogs who will wave at traffic, then turn to me and ask: "Who was that?" I just stare back at them in disbelief. 

Nobody knows what is going on, we are all just waving (not drowning) and all the while the dog is blissfully unaware of this social situation and currently his sole purpose in life is to follow the human who hours before, filled his pocket with a napkin full of meat and has forgotten. Ahh it is indeed a dog's life.