I was walking two of our three dogs down the sidewalk, enjoying the fresh air and movement, when a white pickup truck headed the same direction slowed beside us briefly. A teen boy stuck his head out the window and yelled, “Your dogs are f$%^%g ugly!” as the truck continued speeding down the road.

This caught me off guard for a number of reasons. Though I haven’t had insults yelled at me for a while, I wouldn’t be that surprised by a teen boy insulting an older woman out for a walk. But I was taken off guard that he insulted the dogs. Where I live in Southern California, dogs are pushed around in miniature strollers, brought into restaurants and stores, and generally viewed affectionately regardless of their handsomeness. Such vitriol toward innocent creatures surprised me and made me sad.

There was no time to respond, and even if there were, what could I say? And then I looked at the dogs trotting along on each side of me. They were happy; in fact, they were excited to be outside, moving and smelling all the wonderful things the world had to offer. Their joy in being alive and walking was not diminished in the least by what that teenage boy yelled. That is the wisdom of dogs: they remain present to who they are. Luna and Graham exemplified the meaning of the saying “sticks and stones,” and I learned that others’ meanness doesn’t have to impact our joy.