So, there are lots of dogs and dog owners in Santa Barbara.

And, to be honest, some people take it to a bit of an extreme. For instance, a baby stroller should not be used to carry dogs. That defeats the purpose of taking your dog for a walk.

If you’re allergic to dogs, Santa Barbara might not be the best place for you to live. They are everywhere. They can be brought into some stores. I’m sitting outside Starbucks right now, and there’s a lady doing her thing with her dog next to her. And that dog has been receiving attention from everyone. (Is it necessary to use baby talk with dogs?) But there’s always one dog and dog owner at this Starbucks outside. (Funny note: this lady was working on her laptop. Then the second lady, the one with the dog, came and sat down next to her, on the outside sofa. The dog and the dog owner practically took up the sofa, and the first lady, on the laptop, packed up and left. I thought she was going home or something. The dog and the lady left about 5 minutes ago, and the first lady, laptop lady, just came back and spent a good 2 minutes brushing off dog hair so that she can sit where she sat before being invaded. Okay, maybe that was funny, only to me.)

I’m not a dog person/lover, per se, but I like dogs. I like my parents’ puppy. I like animals. But I don’t like dogs to the extent that some people do here. And, honestly, I think dressing up your dogs in human-esque clothing is weird. And I don’t think the dog really appreciates being dressed up. But what do I know? I’m no dog whisperer.

Anyway, last week, I was having lunch at a restaurant, and we were seated outside.

At the end of the meal, a lady pulls up and parks on the curb right next to us in her Denali. Inside were two beautiful dogs, and I assumed that she was taking them to the vet that was right next to the restaurant.

She kept her windows rolled up, as she exited the car (with her engine running). I figured that she must be getting take out from the restaurant. But, I see her being led by the hostess, and seat her at a table where two other people were waiting for her.

And, this drove me mad.

I can’t tell you why it bothered me so much. But it did.

I mean, I’m not the most green guy. I use a lot more napkins than necessary. I often forget my reusable Starbucks cup. I drive to church (although I intend to start biking real soon).

But, I just felt that this was so wrong. She was going to be there a minimum of 40 minutes, all the while her big Denali’s engine is running to keep her precious dogs cool. It’s Santa Barbara. Roll down your windows. Or leave your dogs at home for a couple of hours. They’ll survive.

It felt so irresponsible and I had such ugly thoughts towards her.

I even had a half a mind to say something to her… but realized that it wouldn’t come out cool and collected, since I was so annoyed. And I didn’t really want to make a scene.

I think I love dogs. But, I don’t know if I can say the same for some of their human counterparts.