A dog is just a dog unless he is facing you...

Then he is Mr. Dog.

It's all about perception, isn't it?

How often have you looked at something and thought, "Wow. Cool. I wish I had that." Or looked at something and thought, "Lame. Who would want that?"

It's way too easy to simply dismiss what we see based on our own mindset. It takes a bit more work to put yourself in those shoes. The shoes of ... Mr. Dog.

Think about it. You're walking down the street and you see a stray dog. Ho, hum. Yep, there shouldn't be any stray dogs in the world and that's too bad. You see his collar. Okay, somebody 'owns' him and he got loose or was let loose or...

Then he turns and faces you. Suddenly it isn't just a stray. It's a dog, facing you down in the middle of a street. You suddenly pray that whoever owns this dog has kept up on the rabies shots, etc. You hope this dog has had good socialization with those owners. You hope the owners aren't someone who beats a dog and says it's justified because the dog is 'property.'

What is the dog thinking? Now that's the tough part. You don't know his background, you don't know his baggage. All you can do is approach him with your own baggage, your own thoughts, your own way of acting. If it was me, I'd be friendly. If my friendship was rebuffed, I'd walk away. And if he looks like he'll attack, I'd either find a fast way to retreat or find someone to help me.

Now that I think about it, that's a good way to deal with people, too. Do you deal with toxic people on a daily basis? What are some of your coping mechanisms? What works? More importantly: what doesn't?

Who is Mr. Dog in your life? And when you run into Mr. Dog, how do you react? Is it always the best way? Can you learn from encounters in the past that weren't always productive?

And think about this: do you seem to attract the Mr. Dogs of the world? If you do ... why? Are you okay with that? Or can you change some behavior or facet of your outward-facing personality to make sure those people don't attach to you. And if you can't change it ... are you okay with the fact those toxic people are attracted to you. They won't change. You'll have to be the one to change it.

Think about it. Before blaming another person for ruining your day .... is it Mr. Dog's fault?