More Than a Passing Resemblance

I was driving out of our subdivision this morning and passed a lady out walking her dogs.  She was walking two Saluki hounds.  Saluki dogs are desert dogs, thin, bony, sharp-angles, long-legged, and bred for speed.  I started to laugh as I drove past her because I was already carrying on this conversation with her in my head.

"You and your dogs are a good match,"I'd say. 

"Why do you say that?" she would ask.

"Well, because their size and shape suit you.  You would obviously look silly walking a short, squat English bulldog," I'd answer.

You see, this lady was tall and reed-thin, all jutting angles.
I was thinking about dogs and their owners as I drove on to my destination.  So many of us seem to have dogs that resemble us or our personalities, don't we?





I have Fresca, the Wonder Dog, an American Eskimo Dog.  She's neurotic, over-protective, going full-tilt one minute and then conked out the next.  Everything she does is quick and jerky, not slow and lumbering.  I tend to be that way, too.   My kids used to tell me to "Slow Down!"  They thought I walked like I was going to a fire.    Fresca is suspicious of newcomers and warms up to people on her own terms.  She's got an attitude, too.  But she is also loyal to the extreme and very content to just stay close to me, wherever I am.


 

All of my dogs have been herding dogs.  My first dog was "Tichi", a Shetland Sheepdog.  She was the same way.....loyal, protective, and neurotic.

 
There was "Waseca", my Australian Shepherd.  She was smart as a whip, protective, slightly neurotic, and my shadow.

 
"Ishtar", another Shetland Sheepdog, was so smart that one of her dog class instructors told me to just give her the class manual and let her read it for herself.  She was also very protective, my shadow, and a very loyal friend.  She was a great watchdog.  All of my dogs have been clowns in the privacy of their home but wary of strangers.  Sounds a lot like me.

I have a friend whose dog is Fresca's best friend.  My friend is little but mighty.  She reminds me of a scrappy rat terrier......someone who would think nothing of flinging herself after something and then grabbing it and shaking it until it gives up in desperation.  Her dog, Schatze, is scrappy, too.  Although Schatze is tiny, she thinks nothing of trying to take on Fresca for daily wrestling matches.  She also ALWAYS has something to say about everything, whether it is to a passerby on the street or talking back to us, if she isn't pleased with something.  Yup, she and her owner suit each other.

My nephew has a part-pitbull/Labrador mix.  When he first got Snoopy, I was really leery.  I'd heard all the horror stories about pitbull dogs.  But this dog is a big, overgrown puppy.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  I wouldn't want to come up against him in the dark if I was an intruder.  He's all muscle and focus when he's checking something out.  His owner, my nephew is a fit young man, one of Uncle Sam's warriors.  I'm sure he could do some damage if he wanted to.  But at heart, he's a goofy guy, good-natured and fun-loving, just like his dog.

There are always those dog owners and their dogs that don't fit, however.  I must admit that my son-in-law falls into that category.  Here you have a man's man......a guy who loves outdoor sports, hunting, shoots all types of guns as a hobby, lifts weights, races motorcycles, you name it.  Yet what dog did he pick?  A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!  These aren't exactly working dogs.  They are pretty frou-frou animals.  He calls his dog "his sweet girl."  I can only think that she has taken the place of any daughter he might have, since he's not a father at the moment.  After all, we all know that men turn into tubs of melted butter when it comes to their daughters.

Are you a dog-owner?  How do you resemble your dog?