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12:20:2003 Entry: "Ann : Let me just preface this by saying I love both my two dogs."

Let me just preface this by saying I love both my two dogs.

Stan and I were discussing this last night. Tim's favorite dog of ours is Hieronymus. He's just crazy about that pug. My mom loves Hieronymus too, and even my dad, 'The Man Who Hates Dogs,' likes Hieronymus. People who come to visit us love Hieronymus. Plato is another story. He's more aggressive toward strangers, so we don't let him near someone unless they know him or have been in the same room with him for about an hour. Plato is perceived by 'outsiders' (i.e., anyone except Stan and I) as 'The Bad Boy.' Maybe it's just because he's smarter and can outwit humans? Hieronymus is perceived as 'The Good Dog,' a roly poly sweet little ball of pug. Hieronymus can do no wrong. Plato is perceived as mischievous and temperamental, high strung and vicious. My dad hates Plato with a passion. The thing that these 'outsiders' do not see is how incredibly sweet Plato is. There is never a better dog to snuggle with when feeling depressed. He will love you to death and let you hold him forever (or until the doorbell rings). They don't see the nasty side of Hieronymus, aka 'Pug.' They don't have to deal with Pug's unrelenting desire to start licking Plato in the nasty places when Plato is just sitting on the futon with me, sleeping or minding his own business. Hieronymus is 90% of the time the instigator in what we have called their 'weiner games.' They don't see how snarly and bitey Pug is at the vets, or even when we try to clip his nails. While Stan can hold Plato in a relaxed position while I clip his nails, we literally have to strap Pug down with a towel over his head while his little head is spinning and growling inside of it. Back when Pug was young, we put him on our bed one morning and he shat on it. We were scared to do the same with Plato, but when I took Plato to bed one night when he was still a puppy, he just slept. He knew a bed was to sleep on, not to shit on. And when they both had a case of diarrhea this past fall, Plato would tell me when he had to go out. Pug would just shit wherever he pleased.

If everyone could see it from my and Stan's perspective, they might be willing to change their mind about who's 'The Good Dog.'

2 Comments

Animals are very much like children. When someone, like your dad, don't like Plato, the dog sense it right away. You can never get friends with an animal you don't like or expect that animal to show you it's good side when you send out bad vibes. Your dad is a strange fellow, how can anyone hate a dog, or any animal.

Posted by Nico @ 01:07:2003:06:27 PM CST

My first cat, Muffy, was the exact same way. My husband was terrified of her, and she ignored most people. If we had visitors, she'd leave the room. One day, while my husband and I were just engaged, he was up visiting and eating a bagel on the couch. Muffy came up and took the bagel off his plate to go eat it - he was too afraid to take his bagel back. He never liked Muffy very much and she tolerated him pretty well by remaining in the room with him. Everyone thought Muffy was snobby - but when I got home from school she'd meow and tell me all about her day and then at night we'd curl up together. Even my parents didn't realize how wonderful she was until I went off to college and she graced them with her presence more often.

The other cat, Sadie, is kind of a terror. She always shows off for visitors, but are always worried she'll just randomly scratch someone. She will hiss at anyone who tries to remove her from her favorite spot and, while she can be sweet, she can also be kind of mean.

Posted by Chewie @ 01:08:2003:08:42 AM CST

By Ann @ 20:27 AM CST:12:20:03 ..::Link::..