the joy of having a dog

I decided quite some time ago that I like dogs better than most people. Not cats or birds or horses, Dogs. I've also decided that my opinion of people can be influenced by observing the relationship my friends have with their dogs. I realize if I was truly a good person I wouldnt have an opinion, but I also belive that everybody has an opinion on every subject and those who say they dont are actually just hipocrits. The real challenge is to not let your opinion of things effect you life or your relationships in any way. I think I am really good at that. Anyway back to the dogs. I know some people who are real shits in their everyday lives but when it comes to their dogs they are the most loving caring person on earth. I hope that this type of compassion would eventually work its way into how we treat others. Often it does not.

I have a real asshole for a dog. His name is Hannibal. I bought him at a horse show when he was 8 weeks old. In spite of his beauty, and he is a very handsome dog, he was the last one left in the litter and I am sure that when I bought him he was living on benedril or something because within 6 hours of purchase he turned into the asshole that he is today. I paid a fortune for this dog. I thought that he would mellow when he got used to me, I was wrong. Within 24 hours of his purchase everybody who came in contact with him at the horse show told me to take him back. Of course the people that I bought him from, who told me they were also at the show, disappeared from the face of the earth. In the first 24 hours he bit a hole in my nose, and tried to bite everyone who tried to pick him up. He was cute, everybody that saw him picked him up. A good friend of mine said "he's nasty you should call him Hannibal", and it stuck. The rest of the week at the show was spent trying to make him happy because frankly, he never was. He was too hot or thirsty or didnt want to be held, or wanted to run off, or was growling at the horses or tearing something up. He was more work than the four horses I had at the show.

Well now its been two long difficult years later and like I said, Hannibal has grown up to be a VERY handsome dog. I love him to death. He is still a handful. Very growly and difficult, chews up all his toys, he is getting very territorial. He loves to think he is hearding the horses when he is actually chasing them, and he is one great little alarm. When one of the horses lays down and rolls, or runs in his pen, or starts giving me shit when I am working it. He goes batshit crazy. Bites the fence and carries on like he is possesed by the devil. I'm not so sure he's not.

But there is also another side to Hannibal. He has started to like affection. Demanding it in fact, he wants to sit next to me now when I am sitting at the desk, wanting me to pet him, and every nite when I go to bed he gets in bed with me and snuggles and loves on me like he really likes me. In the morning when I wake up he gets back in bed, and brings all his toys too. He has four or five at any given time, and he wants to hold a toy in his mouth, while he lays up against me with all the rest of his toys around him, and I am supposed to pet him or he will whine and carry on. You may think this is not good, but its really a considerable improvement.

I have loved him all along, working it out in my head somewhat along the lines of adopting a child that turns out to be difficult. Now I have it and I'm going to love it. Now that he is starting to act like he likes me I am really happy. So if you see me at a horse show, or at a race I will probably have Hannibal with me. He thinks that he loves to go along. And like I said most of the time I like dogs better than people so I let him come along. I'm happy to have him with me.