Today I wanted to share a little anecdote from my evening last night, because it was quite the event.

After wrapping up at the local "Beakers and Beer" networking / free beer with my co-workers, I arrived home just like any other evening. I wrapped up my phone call with a collaborator  while grabbing the mail, only to be greeted with a very angry pug, sitting on the next landing. He sat there, staring me down, probably judging my winter hat. He doesn't seem to like hats. I quickly back tracked slowly right out the front door, because despite being a 25-year-old male who is in fairly good shape, that 20lb pug seemed to mean business . . . and I wanted no part of that.

I feel like this isn't a very threatening hat.

I feel like this isn't a very threatening hat.

My wife, who at one point worked at a dog day care center was unfortunately at the gym, so I was on my own. After several failed attempts to get passed the pug, each and every time getting repelled back by ferocious barks and snarls, I decided to do what most people would do. Run away and find food to bribe the little bastard.

After getting a slim jim from the nearby gas station, I made my way back to my apartment. Despite having the food in hand, I paced out front for another 35 minutes. I needed reinforcements from Ellie. Soon enough, she came home, I handed her the slim jim, and she simply walked right up the stairs and into the house. She loves me enough to open up the back stair case so I could avoid the demon dog.

After a while, with no owner in sight, eventually I heard other tenants come in and out, being equally surprised by the presence of "Prince Charming". The name which the nice couple in apartment 1 and myself were able to discern from the tags, once we had gotten some of Audrey's treats to bribe the beast.

After many hours, we decided the dog was abandoned, and I ended up taking him out for a potty break. We set him up with some of the best food money could buy, a bowl of water and a blanket to sleep on.

I swear, I  lost more sleep last night worrying about that little terror than I really should have allowed, but the story does have a (maybe) good ending. This morning the owner seemed to have come home, and put the pup away. I probably will never get an explanation for why Prince Charming was roaming the stairs, but moral of the story, 20lb pugs are scary, and I am a wuss.