[nagdu] 8th anniversary and Ben's Dog Day

[Sheila Leigland]

my firstt dog drake was very much that way. Strong love. not kissy but 
hated tiedown because he couldn't get to me if he chose to. I wasn't 
sure he liked me at all until Mark came to visit during training and I 
couldn't take him off campus and he went nuts when I got back. He made 
wide circles and I had to tell him to sit to calm him down. He went nuts 
if we were separated and that never changed. If he could see me, he 
didn't need to be close. He was a big black lab. Tres is opitise.very 
demonstrative.
On 9/5/2014 12:05 PM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu wrote:
> Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of Ben and my meeting.  8 years of 
> Bennitude!  We had a rocky start, but came together eventually.  I 
> thought I'd write about it.  I read lots of stories about dog love at 
> first sight, pretty much, but I know there are other possibilities.
> On Dog Day afternoon, my classmates and I were hanging out by our room 
> doors, listening to our classmates get called to the lounge, then pass 
> by with their new dogs.  When it was my turn, I sat down in the lounge 
> and my trainer said something like "here's Ben, a male black lab.  
> He's all black, with light brown eyes that really stand out against 
> his black fur and are very expressive.  I think you'll like how 
> sensitive he is."  (I never have figured out what she meant by that; 
> by me, he's not a sensitive dog at all.) I said "Ben's on my list of 
> great dog names!  Hi Ben!"  I took his leash, and we went back to my 
> room to get to know each other.  He jumped on me a couple times, then 
> completely ignored me.  After a while, we went out for our first walk 
> on the leisure path, in what I think of as TSE's backyard. Ben was 
> great, moving along at a nice trot.
> He always worked well, but continued to ignore me as much as 
> possible.  He wasn't interested in cuddling or being petted.  In the 
> van, he would lie as far away from me as his leash and space would 
> permit.  The first time I got an idea he actually liked me was when we 
> took pictures near the end of class.  The trainer took Ben away to get 
> a solo picture, and he jumped all over me when he got back.  "They 
> took me away, but you're my person and now I'm back!"
> It took me a while to figure out that Ben is just a very quiet, rather 
> aloof guy.  He don't go for that girly kissy cuddly stuff. A few pats 
> is nice, then leave him to do his own thing.  His love is quiet love, 
> but strong. He's gotten a bit more demonstrative over the years, but 
> he's very self-contained.  He's a Jersey guy. Passionate declarations 
> of love are not his style.
> Anyway, I thought I'd share, in case someone else has a new dog who's 
> taking a while to become attached.
> Tracy and handsome, lovable  Ben
>
>
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