Posted on 02/17/2014 7:56:56 PM PST by jespasinthru
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. I walked out of a WalMart in St. Petersburg, Florida, and I was confronted by a pandhandler. An elderly white gentleman in his mid-60's, neatly dressed and clean-shaven. And he had this cute little doggie on a leash. His spiel was that he only got 500 dollars a month in Social Security, and most of it went for the rent of his kitchenette apartment. He could just barely afford to feed himself. He couldn't afford dog food, so he was panhandling just to get some change to feed his dog. And that little doggie was an expert hustler. He looked like a cross between a chihuahua and a beagle. He had big pointy ears, and one of his ears was crooked. And that little deformity just added to his cuteness. He walked up to me with a big smile on his face, wagging his tail, asking to be petted. I gave that man five dollars, and he said "God bless you." As I was walking to my car, I saw him talking to a lady who was obviously a tourist (you can tell them from the locals). Not only did she give him money, but she went to the vending machine and bought a bottle of water for him to give to that adorable little doggie because she thought he was thirsty. That dog had great people skills. I'll bet that man made a couple of hundred dollars that day.
“Maybe I was played for a sucker. But both the man and his little dog looked thin and hungry.”
Don’t feel bad — I and most everyone else with a good heart has been taken in a few times.
And hopefully at least he keeps the dog fed.
“I refused to stop and let the meth-head drool on my Tahoe. It cost me $275.”
You never know, it may have been cheap at the price...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.