The dog days of autumn

Sorry. I know it has been a while... I've been sick.
Well, no, I've been campaigning. Which is sometimes equivalent.
When I signed up to run for mayor, I knew some of the things that might be important -- issues, policies, efforts, special events, advertising, that sort of thing.
What I didn't count on was the influence of dogs in the campaign.
Just yesterday, I called at a home where the very active and defensive dog confronted me through the screen door. Which at that time seemed to me to be a very unsubstantial screen door, indeed.
The owner joined us, and his opening remark was, "If my dog doesn't like you, I don't think I can vote for you."
Well, that's discouraging.
But then he added, "Actually, he barks at everyone like that." So unless the owner is looking for a reason not to vote, he's going to have to use some other oracle. The dog has taken a universal scunner to politicians. Not all that unwise, come to think of it, but still not helpful in determining which undesirable politician one is going to support.
I've also encountered the opposite response. In two cases on one day, I heard "My dog doesn't usually like anyone, but she seems to like you. You have my vote."
Who am I to disparage such thinking. I know that people vote for a lot of reasons, and some I have heard are not as well thought through as this, so I'm happy to be the beneficiary of the friendly dog ballot.
I have a friend who is in the dog food business, and believe me, after visiting some thousands of homes, I want a piece of his action. I believe there are about 1.75 dogs for every human in this municipality. Big dogs. Dogs who hit the door at full speed when I ring the bell. Tiny dogs. Friendly dogs. Dogs where, if they act the way they sound, you don't want anyone to be home and open that door.
One thing is clear... as I work my way around our communities each day, meeting voters and canine vote influencers, I become much more interesting to the dogs as the time goes on.
The first dog finds me pretty bland, and is not much interested in my freshly laundered trousers. A casual sniff is the sum total of that relationship.
The second dog... more interest. Not because of me, of course, but because of my recent, brief encounter with Dog One. This level of interest expands geometrically as I meet dog after dog, until by the end of the day, the dogs find me the most interesting man in the world, Dos Equis notwithstanding.
I have no idea how this election will work out, but if I am not the people's choice, I can at least be consoled by the fact that I seem to be the choice of the vast majority of dogs. And I am pretty sure I'm going to invest in a dog food business. Either that, or a company that replaces front doors and door screens.