Some Dogs Have A Mind Of Their Own
My dog, Max, is an accommodating companion, but he does have a few personality quirks. He loves to go for rides with me and has staked his claim on "shotgun". He likes my truck so much that sometimes he will not get out after we get back to the house. He will sit in his seat and refuse to move. If I go to the other side and open his door, he will hop right out.
Another of Max's quirks involve doors. If I go through a door, Max waits until I close the door and then reopen it before he will follow me into the room. The only exception is when I leave the house through the front door. In that case, Max rushes through the door as soon as it is open enough for him to squeeze through. He only does this at the front door. If I leave through the back door he follows his routine and waits for me to close the door and then reopen it before he will follow me.
Another of Max's quirks involve doors. If I go through a door, Max waits until I close the door and then reopen it before he will follow me into the room. The only exception is when I leave the house through the front door. In that case, Max rushes through the door as soon as it is open enough for him to squeeze through. He only does this at the front door. If I leave through the back door he follows his routine and waits for me to close the door and then reopen it before he will follow me.
Max, seldom barks. In the beginning, when Max first came to live with me, I thought that he was unable to bark. He would sometimes make a quiet coughing sound. But later I learned that he will bark when someone he does not know comes into what Max considers as "his" space. His bark is proportional to his size, not very loud, but definitely a bark and not a cough.
I suspect that Max has a hearing problem too. I think that it is the common hearing problem that a lot of us develop when someone asks us to do something that we would rather not do. Max's hearing problem is particularly evident when we go for a walk in the park. At the house, Max is never more than a few feet from where I am. But when we go for a walk in the park that is down the street from our house, Max's first priority is to investigate what he finds most interesting. Staying near me is clearly far down the list of importance to Max.
I suspect that Max has a hearing problem too. I think that it is the common hearing problem that a lot of us develop when someone asks us to do something that we would rather not do. Max's hearing problem is particularly evident when we go for a walk in the park. At the house, Max is never more than a few feet from where I am. But when we go for a walk in the park that is down the street from our house, Max's first priority is to investigate what he finds most interesting. Staying near me is clearly far down the list of importance to Max.
Regardless of any of Max's personality quirks, I can't help but feel blessed that Max is content to put up with me. When I am in a bad mood, which is often enough, one look into Max's face is enough to remind me that life is too precious to waste being grumpy. Everyone should have a pup like Max!
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