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"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear,
but forgetting where you heard it."
-Laurence J. Peter
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"Read not to contradict and confute,
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."
-Francis Bacon
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If you're a regular reader of this column, you already know that I bought a puppy some time ago.
Unfortunately, he was found to be both epileptic and extremely aggressive, so he
went back to the breeder. After he'd bitten four of my family members, I decided it was time
for him to go - before he got the idea of biting me... ;-))
But I did miss him. It's difficult to know how a puppy will turn out. So I got smart. Like a real
Internet addict I started looking for adult dogs on the Web - dogs just old enough for their real
character and behaviour to be known. But dogs that, for some innocent reason, needed a new home.
Seek and ye shall find. And I did. At present, my best friend is Ashley.
 She was 11 months old when I got her,
and I've really enjoyed her company for some time now. And what a difference -
whereas Tyler, the puppy, would bite almost anyone and be aggressive, she's submissive, quiet
(except when greeting people, or when running loose outside),
sweet and cuddly. In fact, she's the biggest, heaviest cuddly animal I've ever had.
But there are common characteristics as well. Apart from the obvious - both dogs are golden retrievers -
it occurred to me that every dog has a hobby. And not just these two dogs. Dogs I used to have in the past, and dogs
my parents used to have, as well.
Take Iljov, for instance. Interesting dog. Born in the USA, and resident in our home
somewhere in Europe years ago, he was a stone collector. He was not even a foot high, but liked
to pick up bricks and natural stones when he was outside - preferably so big that he could hardly
fit his jaws around them. Often the stones he would pick up would be heavier than he himself! He
used to take the stones inside and put them in or near his basket. Of course, since he picked up
a stone a day, the collection would grow rather large rather quickly.
So every now and then the stones were thrown out when he wasnīt looking,
and he would start a new collection. Like the average human collector of whatever objects,
he didn't really do much with the stones. He collected for the sake of collecting, it seemed.
Yes, Iljov - may he rest in peace - was a born collector.
Tyler's greatest hobby was barking at our cats. If we hadn't stopped him, he probably would have gone on
all day and night doing that. As far as collecting goes, he was an exception. He collected enemies, not objects.
It was surprising how little time it took him to antagonize a cat, a human, or any other living being.
And if they werenīt impressed quickly enough, he would bite them, and that would do the job.
Fortunately, Ashley is different. She collects friends. She thinks everyone and everything in the whole
wide world is her friend. That can be disappointing sometimes, because not everyone feels the same way.
But it gives her a cheerful, positive outlook on life, and I like that.
She also collects sticks and branches. To keep it simple for her, we started calling everything that even remotely
looks like a wooden stick or a branch of a tree "stick". And she loves her sticks. In fact, she loves them
to death. Literally. This sweet, quiet, submissive dog turns into an absolute fanatic when she takes a twig,
a branch or a piece of wood home. In a matter of minutes the whole thing is reduced to a pile of splinters.
In fact, I think she might make a good working dog. She could be really valuable to matchstick manufacturers.
Unfortunately, this shredding habit also extends to blankets. She sleeps on a blanket. But we periodically have
to change her blanket, because she treats them like prey. It starts with shaking it vigorously from left to right, and
from right to left. And when sheīs fully convinced her "prey" is dead, she lies down and tears it to pieces. Why she does
that to the blanket she sleeps on, I will probably never know. But it seems to work for her, so we let her do her thing.
We mainly let it go, because she so meticulously distinguishes between things that are hers and things that are ours.
(Unlike some other dogs I could mention!) And I suppose it gives her something to do in between her walks,
because itīs walks and swimming she really lives for.
Without that, and without her other canine hobbies, hers would really be a dogīs life...
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Disclaimer
This column is only for the purpose of entertaining, educating or
giving food for thought. Any persons, characters, countries, institutions or groups
mentioned are - as a matter of principle - fictional: any resemblance to existing ones is
purely by chance. ;-)
If the content of this column offends anyone, please accept the
columnist's apologies: no offense was intended.
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column noun
1a: a vertical arrangement of items on a page
b: a vertical section of a printed page
c: an accumulation arranged vertically
d: a department or feature (as of humor, sports,
literary reviewing, or gossip) in a newspaper or periodical, under a permanent
title and generally reflecting the writer's individual tastes and point of view.
2: a supporting pillar
3: a form, structure, or formation shaped like a column
(Webster's Dictionary.)
Relevant reads:
97 Ways to Make a Dog Smile
Totally Fun Things to Do with Your Dog
Beyond Fetch: Fun, Interactive Activities for You and Your Dog
The Perfect Puppy
Help!
My Puppy Is Driving Me Crazy: A Guide to Solving Common Puppy Problems
I Just Got a Puppy: What Do I Do?
Retriever Puppy Training :
The Right Start for Hunting
Puppies for Dummies
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