[nagdu] Chris: Reserved dog

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Jenny.
Pretty funny!  I knew there were more dogs out there who are reserved like
my guy.
Ben has a very active dream life, too.  He wags his tail, races around,
barks and growls, all lying in his comfy spot.  He's much more active
asleep than awake.
He has many toys, but only plays with them for short times.  He almost
always has to grab a bone while I'm grooming him.  That way, I can hold
the bone for him and he can chew it while he's being brushed.
He's a funny guy, in his quiet way.
Tracy


> Hi all,
>
> I had to say that Brooks, my former guide, was very much like that.  He
> required a certain kind of bed.  Which he had to pick out at the store,
> and once he had that, he was pretty much a lump on it.
>
> he would come and sit in front of the rocking chair I sat in, and not make
> a sound or move.  sometimes, I could feel his hot breath on my hand, but
> luckily, I had some sight, so I could figure out that he was just sitting
> there.
>
> I never knew if he wanted out, or if he just wanted to be stroked.
>
> If he was comfortable in a place we were living.  He would get on his back
> and writhe around snorting and moaning.  It was the funniest thing I had
> ever seen.
>
> He was very particular about his boys too.  If he found one he liked, he'd
> have it destroyed quickly, as he would either kill the squeaker, or just
> get it out of the toy itself.  The Kong was nothing to him without stuff
> in it.  I tried everything inside there, and once he got whatever I put in
> there out, he was done.
>
> the funniest thing about Brooks, was that he would wag his tail in his
> sleep.  I've been around a lot of dogs, but never in my life, have I seen
> a dog wag his tail fully in his sleep.  That too was the only time I ever
> heard him growl too.
>
> Brooks was mostly a lump in his bed or beside our bed.  He was never one
> to run around too much or lick.  Unless, of course, he had just gotten a
> drink, and had to come directly to me, and lick both hands, front and
> back, and then he was satisfied and left to go to his throne.
>
> I liked having a mellow dog for my first dog.  I hope I get one that is
> more active this time.
>
> Jenny
> On Sep 5, 2012, at 11:06 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
>
>> This is for Chris, and anyone else who might be interested. I'm not
>> asking
>> for advice; I'm just saying how it is.
>> My Ben is a very reserved dog.  I think of it as one of his shepherd, or
>> cat, traits.  He will give someone the big hello for maybe a minute,
>> then
>> he's over you and not interested.  In the morning, he will dance around
>> a
>> bit and rub up against me, and he wags his tail when I throw him a
>> little
>> party when we reach the bus terminal after work, but otherwise he
>> doesn't
>> show much emotion.  Quite often, I give him a pat and he just stands
>> there.  If he's lying down, he stays in stuffed animal mode and doesn't
>> twitch a muscle.
>> Sometimes he lies upside down and snorts, and I come over and give him a
>> belly rub.
>> I pat him, anyway, but I also respect his space and don't make a pest of
>> myself.
>> I've had him for 6 years now, and, in the last couple years, he's
>> started
>> coming into whatever room I'm in and hanging with me a while.  He
>> doesn't
>> usually come up to me when he comes in; he goes quietly to his corner
>> and
>> lies down, and I give him a little pat.  This is very affectionate
>> behavior for my Ben.
>> When I first got him, I thought he hated me, but over time I realized
>> it's
>> just his way, and I've come to enjoy his calm, quiet presence.  I think
>> he
>> was a Zen monk or something in another life.
>> I also think he's a dog who doesn't give his heart lightly, and that the
>> big separations required of guide dog puppies were hard on him.  First
>> his
>> family left him, then his trainer, and then this new person came into
>> his
>> life--me.  I don't know if dogs think like this, but maybe he thought I
>> was just another temporary master, so why get too excited about me.
>>
>> So some dogs are just reserved by nature.  He has moments when he wants
>> to
>> play or be petted, but otherwise he'd rather sleep or do his own thing.
>> He's not like other dogs I've known, but we love each other and are
>> happy
>> together.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
>>
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>
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