The Importance of Gloves

So while playing ball with daddy at the beach today, I met a new doggie friend - Smoky the Pit Bull.  But apparently, he had other intentions in mind when he came over to play with us.  He took my ball.  I repeat...he took MY ball.  And he wouldn't give it back.  He ran back and forth, up and down the beach and taunted me with MY ball.  He growled and grunted in a not-so-friendly manner every time I tried to get MY ball back.  Then his mommy said to my mommy and daddy, "Oh don't worry, I'll get it back for you."  The next thing I know is this lady pulls gloves out of her backpack and puts them on.  What was the purpose of the gloves, might you ask?  She needed them to protect her hands in order to pry MY ball out of Smoky's mouth.  Gloves, seriously?  After what seemed like FOREVER for Smoky to loosen his vice-like grip off of my ball, the lady was successful and handed MY ball back to my daddy.  Yeah, so I managed to get MY ball back with the help of a pair of leather gloves.  But it was not only covered with that dog's icky germs but it had holes in it.  I have to say, it's one thing to know your doggie's temperament and prepare for the worst, but gloves?  Are you serious?  Forget the gloves, should that dog be able to roam around leash-free in the presence of other dogs and people?  I know my mommy and daddy weren't too happy after that situation.  The moral of the story is:  when you're at the beach and you run into a doggie like Smoky... RUN!  (Oh and don't forget to bring an extra ball.)