She is overweight...

When I go outdoors with Stella, she gets so many compliments. She is a show boat! If she doesn't win over strangers with her beard and eye brows, she wins them over with her sweetness and kisses. What's not to love?

One day I was at the dog park and I came across a woman who had two schnauzers. I was thrilled that Stella had other schnauzers to run with and play! So was Stella! As the dogs played, the fur mommies conversed about how we acquired our babies. We talked about their quirky habits as well as the funny things they do to make us laugh.Then...she said "Your dog is overweight though."

Wait what? You just said my dog is overweight. I thought people only said things like this about other people...not dogs. Hey lady! You leave my dog outta this!

I realize that she wasn't trying to be malicious with her comments. She just compared her schnauzers with mine and assumed that because mine was a little stockier, that she was fat. 

I don't often seek validation from others but her comment made me worry. I started asking my schnauzer support group and my friends and family if Stella were fat and I didn't see it. They all assured me that Stella was a good weight and she wasn't fat. They also questioned why I was listening to a random person at the dog park. They were right. Often we can tune out negative comments until they become personal. That's when we our patience is tested. Normally I can brush such things off, but because I was caught off guard, I let it get to me. Lesson learned!