Kate and man’s best friend…
By KATE HUNTER
I don’t love my dog as I should.
Right now he’s at a boarding kennel – he’s been there 10 days because we’re landscaping the yard and all our fences are down.
It’s a nice kennel in a lovely ruralish part of Brisbane, but I only paid for basic accommodation.
For an extra $35 dollars a day I could have upgraded Tiger to an executive suite with couch, tv and air conditioning. But he has none of those things at home so he figured he wouldn’t miss them as much as I’d miss the money – landscaping is expensive.
Tiger will be home in three days. The kids will be happy, and I’ll be happy because they are. But I can’t say I’ve missed him.
Before you call the RSPCA on me, I’ll just say that Tiger isn’t abused or neglected. He’s fed, walked, taken to the vet when he’s sick. He sleeps on the deck but during the day he’s in and out of the house – just like the rest us. He’s loved (mostly by our 9 year old) just not by me.
My ambivalence towards Tiger is unexpected and mysterious and I wrote about it here a while ago. The response was greater than to anything I’ve ever written before. People feel very strongly about my lack of strong feelings for my dog.
Tiger was a much-wanted family pet, as much by me as the kids. Our previous dog, Jonah, died of oldness six years ago. There was a decent mourning period. Then a year and a half ago, I deemed the time right. I began research. Did not want a dog too big or too small. Prefer non-shedding. Nothing with ‘oodle’ as a suffix (this from Jim). Friendly, good with kids, cute. Enter the Lagotto – Italian truffle digger. Bigger than a spaniel, smaller than a Labrador. Perfect. And wouldn’t you know it? There was a breeder not too far from us – two puppies still available, ready for new homes at Christmas. We did our research and spoke to a vet (didn’t want an over-bred freak with bung eyes and dodgy hips).
Everybody said, – ‘Great family dog, go for it.’
So Tiger came home with us on Christmas Eve, aged 12 weeks; a white and orange mop of loveliness.
And I waited to feel the love, but it didn’t happen. I walked him and fed him and brushed him. I took him to obedience training and let him nap in my study. Nothing. He doesn’t jump the fence, eat the laundry or bark at leaves. He’s affectionate and gentle. As dogs go, he ticks all the boxes. I’m sure there are many reasons my affection falls short of love, and they’re all my fault, but in my heart I blame the dog.
Tiger
Tiger is needy. His weird greenish eyes make me feel guilty every time I’m not chucking his rubber Kong for him. When I do throw it, sometimes he brings it back, sometimes he doesn’t. He’s moody as well as needy.
He’s ungrateful. He eats top quality dog food but always wants what I am eating. His look says, ‘Are you going to finish that? Cos if you’re not …’ No matter what we’re doing, he wants to be doing something else. I want a pet that lives in the moment.
He’s sneaky. That is a cat’s job. Dogs aren’t meant to be sneaky.
He’s clumsy. This is a consequence of the sneakiness. Yesterday I sprung him skulking up the stairs and he tried to back down (this was actually quite funny).
He doesn’t smile. Not like Jonah used to.
I wonder if Tiger senses my apathy? If he knows my heart isn’t in it as I fling sticks around the dog park. Maybe I need to try harder. I picture a day in 10 years time when he’s old and grey around the chops.
Will the idea of being without him fill me with dread? Honestly, I can’t see it, but he’s part of our family, so he can stay until I do.
Have you ever had a pet you didn’t click with? Do you think we are obliged to love our pets – or simply to care for them?
If you do love pets and you are looking to add another member to your family start here
Comments
141 Comments so far
I can understand this post. I had a dog for 15 years that meant everything to me and was my best friend. I adored her and she me. I got a second dog as she was aging thinking this would be good for her and me and while Ive always liked her Ive never had the same feelings towards her as I did my first dog.
I do everything for her, walk her, she sleeps inside, I show her affection, feed her well, she even comes to work with me a couple of days a week, bath her each week, but Ive just never felt towards her like I did my old dog.
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I could have written this… in the same exact words. I love that our boys love our Cavoodle (Odie). He follows me around like a shadow (weird! as I dont really get affectionate with him at all). He’s a dog. I’m busy. People assume because he looks like a teddy bear that I should carry him around and dote and adore him. But I dont. I teach him tricks (for my sons amusement really). I feed him, I’m there for him. And I get worried about him getting sick or having an accident – but that’s mainly to do with having to deal with my sons reactions?
In short – I get it
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OMG how could you not love that. He’s so cutesy cutesy wutesy. I just want to kiss him.
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lol cool beans! I do love him… just not really love him? if that makes any sense at all? :/
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Tarn, it’s the Cavalier part in Odie that makes him follow you around everywhere. He sees you as his fearless leader responsible for the whole ‘pack’ (partic as there’s also kids in the house). Dogs need a leader anyway, but it’s more emphasized/inherent in King Charles Cavaliers. I too have a Cavoodle – he’s a pup, has a BEAUTIFUL and cheeky nature, and also looks just like a teddy bear. But it’s frustrating him following me everywhere – I can’t go out without forlorn eyes willing me to take him, nor venture into the bathroom – he lays down RIGHT outside the bathroom door until I come out, so I’ve now learnt to open the door and check immediately before I step out onto him. I realise this ott behaviour of his, the ‘where are you and why can’t I see you?’ is just par for the course with the Cav companionship part of his personality.
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I feel for Tiger, he is trying to communicate with you in so many ways. On a positive, you seem to tick all the boxes as a responsible owner so don’t beat yourself up too much. Many dogs out there get treated with less respect. You might be too busy to give him the connection he is seeking from you, that happens. They know more than you think they do. I wish I could give him a big cuddle, he looks adorable. Give him a big cuddle from Fred & I tonight.
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Excuse me Kate, I don’t mean to be rude but what are you going to do when he’s old enough to read all these things you’ve said about him on the internets!!!
(PS. In all seriousness, some people don’t even love their children that much – so I think you’re safe here!)
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Yeah – dog’s have personalities and you need to make sure you click with them before you adopt them into your family. Just as you would anyone else coming into your home.
This is why I have a big problem with breeders – it’s too much like shopping for a new car rather than taking a living animal into your life. Now I’m not saying you bought your dog on an impulse, or made bad decisions. The way we purchase dogs in Australia is very much about trying to find the breed that fits our lifestyle. But part of ‘doing your homework’ should also include getting to know the dog you are going to adopt. It’s not like just buying a car and making sure it checks all the boxes.
Adopting a Rescue Dog allows you to speak to the foster family, go and visit several times so they get to know you, even take the dog home for a holiday to make sure everyone get’s along.
I hope things work out with Tiger. Maybe it will just be one of those things were he is your 9 year olds dog and not yours – I know families that have that dynamic with their pet.
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We have a dog and had a cat, that sadly died in August. The dog, I kind of like. She’s quite cute, can be so adorable and sweet, but she is really annoying. The rest of the family loves her though so I’m content to like her and pat her whenever she begs for attention.
The cat though… a completely different story. Jasper was mine and he was the best thing in my life for almost three years until he died suddenly. I loved him so, so much and when we lost him a few months ago, it was the worst pain. I’m only hoping that when we get our new cat in February I can feel as much love for him as I felt for Jasper.
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So sorry for your loss of Jasper Alice, I lost my gorgeous Siamese Felix a few years ago, and like your Jasper, he was the best thing in my life. Even 4 years later I still miss him deeply. I have two new cats now and I love them very much, it was hard at time though, you just have to remind yourself that this new cat isnt your Jasper but a new pet to love just for who he is.
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We have the same problem with our cat. But sadly, it’s all of us. We had the most lovely, affectionate, independent cat ever, but sadly, lost him last year. Around 6 months later a friend of a friend on facebook was looking to re-home her 2 yr old cat. I was excited to get him, but soon realised he was nothing like our old cat. He swipes at us whenever his bowl is empty, He scratches our 1 and 3 yr olds when they just walk past him in the hallway. They’re slightly scared of him now. He doesn’t play. I don’t love him like I should, but as he’s already been re-homed once I feel an obligation to keep him for as long as he’s with us
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Hard to love another when your heart belongs to Jonah…..
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I too have a white and orange mop of loveliness, her name is Ginger. The difference I suppose is that I am madly in love with her, and I think the feeling is mutual. We had been talking about a puppy, but hadn’t put in the sort of planning that involves breeders and research – I just knew I wanted one, and I’d know when I met her, and that’s exactly what happened. I went to visit my boyfriend at work one thursday night, and met her in my travels. I fell in love with her on the spot and took her straight to meet him; he claims he can pinpoint the moment when we ‘jedi mind tricked’ him (his words), and the rest is history. He’s fallen in love with her too, but not necessarily in the way that I have – if we’d planned it we’d probably have picked an entirely different type of dog, and I may be in the same situation as Kate. As things are, I can’t imagine life without our little muppet!
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Adorable
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My beautiful Whippet, Tazzy passed away last year because of a spinal injury and I was absolutely devastated when he died. For a long time I didn’t want another dog because I felt it would be disrespectful to his memory, and that he would feel jealous and unloved if we did get another dog.
Eventually though, we did buy another dog, another Whippet called Simi, who had the exact same markings as Tazzy did. It took me a long time to really warm to Simi – I was still very sad about losing Tazzy when he was still so young and in such an awful and unexpected way that I didn’t think I had room in my heart to love another dog. But I eventually did, and now I truly do love him just as much (but never more) than I did Tazzy.
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Argh, I could have written this exact post. It’s the neediness that gets me here too. We have a Belgian Shepherd and she is the most lovely and affectionate pup but the needing to sit on my feet constantly, trying to Kim fences when a car or bus
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I had a foster greyhound once that I just did not like. It wasn’t that she was mean, or aggressive or scary. She was quite the opposite. She was extremely shy and quiet, to the point where you actually had to shake her sometimes to check she was still alive. Every noise freaked her out – even if I laughed or coughed or sneezed she would absolutely crap her pants. If I started dancing, she would back away and hide (not sure if that was just because of my terrible dancing skills). She hated everything and she definitely didn’t like us very much. She was quite moody and would have what I can only describe as a doggy temper tantrum. I tried to like her, I really did. I would often sit with her and pat her and stroke her. I’d lie down next to her on the floor. I always fed her, gave her water, talked to her, spoiled her by letting her in the house when she probably wasn’t allowed to. I spent lots of time trying to make her feel more comfortable – I’d try and teach her how to come to me, and how to sit and stay. But we just didn’t click.
On our last day as her foster parents, the women that ran the foster club came to pick her up, and they brought one of their own dogs with them. And guess what? My foster greyhound and their dog hit it off straight away! She turned into a completely different dog, it was totally unrecognisable. She was running around, tail wagging, she even ran up to me at one point, which she had never done in the three months we had her for. As much as I wished I could have really truly loved her, I wasn’t that sad to see her go (which sounds absolutely terrible).
Our next foster was a dog called Custard. And she was quite the opposite of our previous foster! She was an absolute bundle of energy, she never tired of running circles around the backyard and practically wearing the tiles thin. She wouldn’t drink her water – she’d stand in it and bite it, she’d constantly dig holes, bark like a man, jump on the flyscreen door, rip plants out, but I loved her. As much as she destroyed the backyard (I don’t think it’s ever looked the same since), annoyed the neighbors, ruined many a dress with her muddy paw prints, I couldn’t get enough of her and literally cried on the day we had to say goodbye.
I think that dogs are a lot like people – you either click with them or you just don’t.
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Are you in Melbourne by any chance? Can I ask who you dog foster for? I am looking into doing it myself.
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He does have creepy eyes
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That’s what Mia said when she met him.
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I think they’re soulful, not creepy. And look at that nose, and his cheeky grin. he’s adorable. He needs a good hug and shown some real love.
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Hi Love Dogs, I’m Tiger’s aunt (Kate’s sister) and I just want to assure you he gets bucketloads of love. Kate’s kids worship Tiger, as do my kids, and pretty much everyone else who meets him. Kate likes Tiger, she just doesn’t love him. Truthfully, there are members of my own (human) family I feel that way about. Not Kate, obvs.
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I think they look a bit human, hence the creepiness
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Yep, Italian truffle dogs are known far and wide for their bunga bunga eyes.
Weird, activated almond-shaped eyes.
In the last few months, we’ve been in trouble for not wanting my brother-in-law’s big white, shaggy-haired dog in our house. Can’t wait ’til they have a baby and get over their ‘dog is human’ phase!
It’s not that I don’t like dogs (actually love ‘em), more that I don’t like vacuuming.
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that’s freakin’ hilarious! (and true)
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Oh Kate, I’m having this very problem at the moment. I’m in a relatively new relationship (six months) and my partner has a dog. A gorgeous 10-year-old Labrador who is quite lovely and probably funny but I’m just not a dog person. I don’t wish them harm by any means, but I get no joy from them either.
This dog is an inside dog, always has been, and I’m not coping. He sleeps in my partner’s room and follows us around the house. Whenever we’re eating, he sits at our feet panting and drooling. I want to love him, I really do, but he’s always up in my space and I’m not dealing with it at all well.
I understand he picks up on my negativity, no matter how smiley I am, and haven’t been able to find a way around it. Any tips anyone can give would be well received!
(And just as an afterthought, I’m not a bad person. Just not a dog person.)
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Not Judy, I dont blame you for not warming to your partners dog, it sounds like They’ve never set boundaries and have a dog who has bad manners. I adore my dog and will do anything to make him happy and keep him safe, but hes still a dog, he sleeps outside or in his bed in the laundry – not in my room, he walks through doors after me and he certainly knows better than to sit at my feet staring and drooling while I am eating. Unfortunatley I dont have any tips to help you deal with this but I totally get what youre feeling (and I actually AM a dog person)
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I don’t think Tiger can ever live up to the memories you have of Jonah
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I have had pets that I loved desperately. They were people. They were better than people! They slept on my bed, ate off my plate, had credit-card-crippling surgery to extend their precious lives…
Right now I have a dog who is nice enough and a cat who is okay – but I don’t love them in the same way.
Some pets are…well…just pets. Other pets are something else entirely.
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The other night while me, husband and dog were all falling asleep in bed, I heard my husband say “I love you”.
Me: “I love you too babe”
Husband: “I was talking to the dog, but I love you too”.
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Oh, that is adorable! Love a man who loves his dog, and even moreso one who tells them as such
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That right there is precisely the kind of man I have been looking for!
Still single and looking – for now
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Haha did this the other day too, boyfriend was unimpressed. Also unimpressed that I sometimes use the nickname of the dog for him too.
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I can sympathise – my boyfriend tells our dog that she is the most beautiful girl and that he loves her sooooo much. whenever i exclaim in (mock) jealousy, he rationalises that he has to tell the dog more often, because she wont be around as long. i guess that makes sense in a sort of twisted way
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hmm, another Lolly, perhaps I shall need to become Lolly2!
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LOL! I did this the other night while talking to hubby on the phone… “i love you!… “oh honey i love you too”… “I was talking to the puppy”…. awkward
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I’m usually a lollypop but I was being lazy. I really should sign in and create an account, but again, lazy.
When I was little, my nanna used to say “marry a man who love animals”. I never really thought about it much, but I did marry a man who loves animals and he’s perfect. Really, sometimes I think I should hire him out.
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unfortunately married a man who doesn’t love animals, and it’s become and enormous chasm between us!
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I get it. I adore my mums cat (which I grew up with). And while I like my own cat (adopted after I moved out), I don’t feel nearly the bond with her that I do with my ‘hairy brother’. No idea why.
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Kate
You really have to show a dog love, to be able to get it back in return.
They’re more perceptive than you might think.
My dog is pretty ambivalent towards everyone, except the two people that actually take time out to play with him/pat him etc
Be kind, have patience and have fun. He is a family member, after all
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We are looking at getting a Lagotto. What was the breeders name in Brisbane?
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Gemma, do you know how many lovely dogs of all sizes, ages, temprements, energy levels and fur-types (even hypoallergenic) are in shelters and foster care waiting for a family to adopt them and lvoe them forever? Many are even house-trained and good with children as well. I beg you to pleeeeease consider this option. P L E A S E ! I promise you there is one just right for you out there.
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I think if I was getting another dog I’d go for a rescue pet. Not that there’s anything wrong with Tiger physically or temprementally, he’s handsome and gentle – or that I have a problem with purebreds from breeders (pet shops and puppy farms are not an option) but I’ve realised that with pets there are no guarantees.
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Agree a thousand times with this!
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If you like Lagotto’s you may like Field Spaniels. Beautiful calm temperament, medium sized, rarely bark etc. There’s a breeder in Capalaba called Manunga. I have 2 and love them dearly.
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I cant say i relate to this post at all. No dogs arent humans but they do have feelings and can feel emotion and they sense when people are distant or dont love them. Thank goodness your child loves Tiger.
I love my dogs more than anything, and more than people yes! At the end of the day they are dogs but they love me unconditionally.
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Kate, all I can say is you are a brave woman for writing about Tiger again, after the backlash you received last time!
I understand what you are saying by the way. We can’t all be expected to love everyone/everything with the same passion. It’s just life.
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Next you’ll be telling her that the dog needs a Psychologist because of her emotional distance, pulease!
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Pardon? I really don’t understand your comment. At all. Can you please elaborate?
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I suspect the issue is that Tiger is not Jonah. You had fallen in love with one dog and probably unconsciously expected Tiger to behave similarly. When he proved to have an entirely different personality you just couldn’t relate to what you expected. Just like you said that he doesn’t smile like Jonah did, Tiger is not giving you what you’ve come to learn from in a dog.
Tiger sounds like my schnauzer Schnuppi. I’ve never had a pet before who worried about stuff. Who checked up on you to make sure you were there. She quite liked to wander around next to you with her nose actually touching you. Because she loved you best.
So I just think you need to learn to reinterpret Tiger. He isn’t needy, he just loves being with you. Same goes for his food, if you are having something, he wants the same because you are best. He is sneaky because he is smart, play with that. And work out how he smiles. Schnuppi didn’t know how to wag her tail, but her eyebrows would twitch and she would talk to show you she was happy.
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My sister Janey has a Schnauzer called Wynnie – she’s adorable and Janey loves her to death. I wish I felt the same way about Tiger. maybe I should fake it until I make it?
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We have had 4 schnauzer’s in the family over the years and Schnuppi was the only worrier in the lot. It is easy to think all dogs are kind of the same but ours have had wildly different personalities, clingy, independent, smart, dumb as a brick wall. All loveable in their own unique ways. Here are the current two – one clever and clingy to the point of being jealous, the other a little dumb and fearless!
I reckon a good fake it till you make it could work. Like smiling when you feel down, it does end up rubbing off. And find the things you do like about him and focus on that. It will work, you probably need a bit more time.
Oh and ignore the haters, love is complex, love after grief even more complex. You look after him well, he is loved by the family, he is a much luckier dog that most in the world.
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A dog is a dog. This whole thing of treating a dog as though it is a member of the family with equal rights to humans is just weird (not in a good way), in my opinion.
I’m not an animal-hater, I don’t eat meat because of the way the animals are treated. But I just don’t get the way people love their dogs so much. Also the way some dog-lovers seem to like dogs more than other human beings, I just don’t get it.
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There are many people who I have less liking for, than my dog. It’s not about equal ‘rights’, it’s about liking (for me at least). Being human doesn’t mean automatically being liked more than any animal. Just like being canine means being cared about less.
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I don’t think you can love all dogs any more than you can love all people. Some you click with some you don’t. I’ve had boyfriends that ticked all the boxes (kind, good-looking, not in jail) but no chemistry! Surely it’s the same with pets?
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I don’t know, I’ve never had a pet I haven’t “clicked” with.
But then, I don’t have kids. perhaps the love you have for your kids has replaced the love you would otherwise have had for a little creature that loves you and is dependent on you?
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I’ve had a dog that just didn’t click with me. She was a former working dog from a family members cattle property and she didn’t know how to be a pet- she was used to being the boss of all of the other dogs.
She bit me one day when I was playing with her and my other dog- the other dog took offense and attacked her to get her off me.
She’s now been adopted by a new family and it works as they have cattle and she can hang out with the cows and herd them as she pleases all day long
I’m pleased that she’s happy and found a family that fits her.
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Nah, I don’t reckon it’s the kid thing. I have 3 kids and still have lots of room in my heart for a dog. I adored my last dog, Buffy. Sadly she died last Christmas and I was heartbroken for months. I still get misty eyed when I think of her.
We now have Millie the Mad Dog, who I like a lot but I just don’t love her the way I loved my last dog, or the one before that.
I’m kind of shocked at my lack of adoration for this gorgeous labrador. I desperately wanted her. She was a rescue dog and I felt like she was meant to be mine. But the reality is, I don’t really love her. She’s well fed, walked, brushed and played with. I care about her and would never want anything bad to happen to her but she hasn’t stolen my heart.
Luckily she’s adored by my 13 year old, so she’s the centre of someone’s world!
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I think the difference is that many pet owners (me included!) look at their pets in terms of children, or family – not just people. So whereas we might not like or love all people, we unconditionally love our children and family. I guess it comes down to perspective in that sense.
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Exactly this. My cat is my baby. She can be a right little shit and she drives me mad but I love her to bits.
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I’m sorry that you don’t get it. Our pets have always been members of our family. They give us such joy and unconditional love, what is there but to love them in return.
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Have you ever had a pet anon? It’s not so much treating them as “human”, it’s the love that comes from having a creature that is devoted to you and totally dependent on you for its care.
There are times I’ve spent sitting quietly with a pet that I’d take over spending with another human any day.
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I’ve always had pets (dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, rats, fish). At the moment I have a 16 year old Blue Heeler and a 2 year old Golden Retriever and 2 cats. I even worked as a volunteer wildlife carer for a couple of years, getting up multiple times a night to dropper feed. But I’ve never loved any of those animals, liked them but definitely didn’t love them. The people that I really don’t understand are the people who go on about how much better animals are than people and how they only ever donate to animal charities etc etc. It’s as though they find it easier to relate to another species than their own.
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he’s gorgeous and he sounds like a wonderful dog, please love him for what he is.
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Our cat Willow is very much apart of our family. She is our fur baby and she sleeps on our bed every night. I couldn’t imagine not having her in our lives. She is always there when we need a hug and she is a great listener.
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I grew up with dogs and I just love dogs, but they are still dogs. They have a great life with us – sleep inside & are in and out all day, have 2-3 meals a day, 2 walks a day, all their vet checks etc. But they’re dogs, they’re not people. If something was seriously wrong with them, we would put them down. No question. I’m not going to remortgage the house to give a dog a knee replacement – partly because I think it’s insane and partly because you cant describe the operation/following pain/following physio etc to a dog – so why do it in the first place. BUt if someone else wants to do that to their dog, then good luck to them.
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After my Arnold was shot in the leg, the vet said they could pin it all back together, but there was no guarantee that it would even work, and it would cost thousands which I didn’t have and be more painful. He suggested removing it, at a much less cost, so that was what we did. Best $1500 I’ve ever spent. He was back up on his legs the next day, and went on to live another 15 happy years.
.
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Tiger looks like a real character in his photos, he’s beautiful. I feel for poor Tiger not getting the affection that dogs crave, they don’t ask for much, just your love. My beautiful Arnold, a staffy cross, died last October. He was 17and 1/2 and I had him since he was 6 months old. He had 3 legs for 15 of those years, after being shot by a neighbour, but that didn’t stop him one bit. I miss him still, I loved him so much.
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Bad Kate! Naughty Kate! Certainly a controversial post, but I undertsand what you are saying.
Did you feel differently about your first dog? Did Jonah come into the family before the kids?
My boyfriend and I have a gorgeous three year old Labrador, who I love to pieces. Not to get all Marley-and-me and on you, but he really has turned us into a little family. He is all my responsibility – since he was a puppy I have taken him to puppy school, ‘bathroom’ trained him, watched the vet give him vaccinations, fed him, washed him, played with him, walked him, snuggled up with him… the list goes on. If something were ever to happen to him it would absolutely break my heart.
But with my first dog it was a different story. As a child we had a beautiful Golden Retriever. I loved him, but not the same kind of love that I have for my Labrador. I didn’t worry about him when he spent two weeks at the boarding kennel when we went on holidays. I think maybe it’s because he was everyone’s responsibility. I knew that my brother and sister played with him as much as I did, my mum and dad looked after things like vet appointments and buying food. He was a family dog. But my Labrador is MY dog. It’s all on me – I’m the one that has to show this furry little creature all the love in the world, and so he sits heavier in my heart.
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In our family, pets ARE family. Especially dogs.
We have a husky, and we love him so much that yesterday was his birthday celebration. We wore party hats, gave him a toy and a bone and gave him a doggy birthday cake with a candle on top. He was gloriously happy with all of the attention. We even took a family photo!
Therefore we do not feel obliged to care for him, we do because he’s one of us! He has a personality that fits with ours, lives with us and shares in our ups and our downs. He can make us feel better when we’re sad and we genuinely love coming home to his bundle of energy
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We have a husky too! And she is the most beautiful dog we could ask for, so loving and gentle. And coming home to her howls totally makes my day!
(for anyone who hasn’t heard the husky howl-speak, look up the Mischka videos on youtube. LOVE)
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Haha, yes!
I rrruvvv rewww
Obie (our husky) does it all the time when we walk in the door. Its kind of a ‘owr owr owrrrrrrr’ as if to say, i’m so glad you’re home! Now give me attention!
This is him
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Yes! It never fails to make me smile.
Obie is beautiful
i love that they really look like they are smiling! such pretty dogs.
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I feel so sad for Tiger. He can sense you don’t like him, and that must be awful for him. Dogs love to be loved, just like you. I’m glad your 9 yr old loves him, at least that’s something. I could understand maybe if he was a big pain in the butt and naughty, but he sounds like a wonderful gentle soul.
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I think sometimes, there can be a lack of connection between a pet and its owner, particularly if this pet has big shoes to fill following on from a much-loved previous pet.
I do think it is possible to ‘create’ a better bond with this pet by going out of your way to spend time together, even if you feel uncomfortable or ambivalent at first, attachment can grow over time.
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Hi Kate! As a dog lover, my thought is that you are seriously anthropomorphising Tiger and, because he then fails to behave like a ‘nice’ human being should, you fail to warm to him.
He’s not needy. He looks to you, being someone higher in his pack, as his leader. He will listen and learn from you, and behave accordingly. Not all dogs ‘fetch’ all the time, my dog is frustrating with the tennis ball in the same way as Tiger.
He’s not sneaky. Dogs are born opportunists. Give them an inch and they will take it and more – unless you train them differently.
He’s not clumsy. This is most likely a moment of panic when being caught by his leader doing something he shouldn’t have been. He expects he will be punished, so tried to get away.
He can’t smile! Some dogs look like they’re smiling when being playful. A dog’s smile comes from his tail and his ears. They tell you straight away what his mood is.
I hope you can ‘learn to love him’ because he sounds really sweet! If not, I am glad to hear that he is nevertheless loved by other family members, and well cared for. Cheers. And a nice pat for Tiger!
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