We Never Leave Junior High School

So Wifey has been volunteering at Pinecrest Library since the school year began, with our sweet, crippled granddog Bo. Bo is a certified therapy dog, and probably the sweetest little Spaniel of all time, and Wifey brings him to the library on Saturday mornings, and along with a few other therapy dogs and their owners, sits and lets little children read to the dogs. Apparently studies have shown that reluctant young readers more avidly do so to dogs, as the dogs generally don't correct them or judge them, except maybe for those really smart Australian Sheepdogs, who are smarter than most 4th graders. Although Wifey can go on her own, she joined the group that services (ha) Pinecrest Library, led by a woman who I'll call Ellen Mirowitz, since that's her name. Ellen is of a certain age (67) and retired long time teacher, and she takes her volunteer position VERY VERY seriously. The dog reads begin at 10:30, and she criticized Wifey for not being there promptly at 10:15, so they "can march in as a group." Ellen also went on and on about how she blames the fall of a local synagogue on their terrible Rabbi, a woman I'll call Jaimie, since that's her name and if the Rabbi were different, the synagogue would prosper...We don't go there, so we have no dog in that fight, but the fact that Ellen bashes a member of the clergy to Wifey, who she barely knows, tells me all I need to know about this malcontented, angry at the world, probably barren and bitter woman -- who has assumed a comical position of power. So last night, Ellen left Wifey a voicemail, telling her she was, as The Donald liked to say FIRED. The message made clear that Bo the crippled dog was great -- the problem was Wifey, about whom Ellen has "received several complaints." Ha! As if! Although Wifey laughed this off, and started reconstructing what she could have possibly done wrong, I knew right away: Ellen was the president of, essentially, the junior high dog club, and she just didn't like Wifey, and was going to kick her out. I volunteered to fix Ellen's wagon. I would, if so set loose, ask Ellen shouldn't there be MORE rules -- for instance, maybe ALL of "her" volunteers should be fingerprinted, to weed out possible pedophiles. Matter of fact, the dogs ought to be PAW PRINTED, too, lest they have checkered pasts, like we know out strange rescue dog Vienna does, though she never spilled the details to us. As it is, Wifey appears to be content to let this pass. She can take Bo to the library or nursing homes on her own -- without Ellen's approval. I'm happy to never have to cross paths with Ellen. I never met her, but I know her. I'd bet she's very involved in her condo association -- making sure ALL rules are followed by everyone. In fact, people precisely like her are why I never want to leave our one acre property -- and come, in any way, under their make believe power. So Wifey volunteers her time, and gets criticized for it. Seems to me people who want to give back should be made welcome, not made to feel like petty criminals. Yes, so the junior high cliques remain -- even into the late 60s, for people like Ellen. And I guess the moral is to avoid bitches who take control of dog related activities...