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

[Tracy Carcione]

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