The Dogs In My Life

I love dogs. Our first dog was Fritz ... I loved that dog, he was as dumb as a dust bunny. He was a very cuddly dog and loved to snuggle. When I was little I curled my hair and pulled it out... it was impulsive and I did it to that poor dog too and he put up with it. Once he ran down the stairs and slipped. This caused us to hear a Thud Thud Thud Thud as he hit each step... he then got up and while still reeling from the fall attempted to go down the next flight of stairs. As you would guess ... he fell again (Thud Thud Thud Thud). As he got older he started to lose his sight, hearing, and bladder control. Poor dog. He was not a very smart dog but calm and loving. Sadly we had to put him down.

The next dog in my life was Jack. Jack was pure muscle ... no fat at all the most toned dog ever. He wasn't my dog but I was living with Wayne and it was his dog. Jack was on the other end of the spectrum. He was very smart but had more energy than a nuclear reactor. One night I was watching the news coverage of the election 2004 and I decided to thow his ball until he got tired of it. I threw it for three hours and he was panting and had drenched the ball in spit when he finally stooped for about 30 seconds so he wouldn't pass out... He also shed like no other. This caused him to not be allowed on the couch or beds but he was not very well behaved. He thought that if he got off before you saw him on the couch he wouldn't get in trouble. If he was mad at you he would let you know by peeing in the house. He was also a digger... aaaahhh drove me nuts. He was overall a good dog. When Wayne moved to China Jack was given away to a nice family with other dogs.

Now to the dog I have now: Buster. Anna and I rescued him from the shelter. This shelter didn't put any animals down, so he had been there a LONG time (I think almost a year). People didn't get him because they said that he looked too mean... there is no way that dog looks mean. He is the perfect dog for Anna and me. When we first got him I was worried that he was too big at 40 lbs ... He was way underweight too. So Anna and I started to feed him and he gained about 5 more pounds. He is also VERY smart: he learns new tricks all the time and remembers them. He does get distracted easily but I can get him to refocus easily. He also has tons of energy, but only uses it when appropriate, like when we go for walks or when we go out side in the back yard to play. He does have a little energy inside to play tug and wrestle with me... but he doesn't overdo it inside. Sometimes outside I have to calm him down ... but he is very good. The shelter told us that he is not good with men, kids, other dogs, and has bitten before. They were right that he hates men ... but it is conditional. He only hates unknown men... and he has a sixth sense and can tell if they are good people or not. He will growl at bad people... like my ex-father-in-law. He is still concerned about men in my house but if Anna and I are at ease about it he will warm up to them quickly. The other things like other dogs and kids ... total bunk yeah he is not a super social animal but he is not bad around them. He never bites to bite ... he only play bites... which is not even biting, it is mouthing.

He is also a very good burglar alarm. He has a very mean bark and makes sales men nervous. He is extremely well behaved in that he has only peed in the house twice... once was the first day we brought him home and he marked once... and the other was just a while ago and I have no idea why. He is also very well trained in knowing what is his... like food ... I could put a raw steak on the floor and leave it and he wouldn't touch it until I told him it was okay. The only negative thing I can think of is that if he gets the chance he will bolt out the door and go for a run ... and you can't chase him that just makes him run harder. I have learned that I just need to call him nicely and he will come back. Overall he is the best dog ever.