LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR “ WHAT ’ S UP WITH MY PUP ?” BITCH , PLEASE LOVE IN EVERY LICK GREAT GETAWAY NOTHING ’ SPECIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH YOUR DOG THE ROAD TRIP DOGS AROUND THE WORLD IN LOVING MEMORY OF MABRY BARK-WORTHY BITES
In the not-so-distant past , I had a nickname that stuck around for a little while : the Dog Whisperer ! As flattering as that may sound , it was really to poke a bit of fun at me due to an incident in which an unfamiliar dog came out of the back
of a truck and sent me to emergency surgery in the middle of the night !
I have always trusted dogs , even dogs that I am not familiar with . This usually results in a new dog friendship ! That isn ’ t always the case . I have been bitten , to my recollection , by four different dogs . A neighbor ’ s Doberman got me as a child while I was pedaling down my Meme ’ s street . Fortunately , I didn ’ t fall off and made tracks up the front stairs of her house and inside before it could eat me alive ! She happened to be hosting bridge that day ( I can still see the cloud of cigarette smoke and smell the Jack Daniels ), and I distinctly remember having to pull my britches down in front of eight old ladies and show them the teeth marks on my left cheek !
I don ’ t want to get too far in the weeds with some of the other stories , but I will say that the most recent incident involved my friend ’ s English Mastiff , Dax . We happened to be at his old house looking at the recent work he had done when he specifically warned me about his dog . Being the trusting guy that I am , I petted him anyway . All was fine until his human turned the corner in the hall out of sight . He snapped at me so fast I could hardly see it ! Fortunately for me , his aim was just off , and he only got my shirt sleeve . I got out of there and didn ’ t see him again until his human bought the house across the street . Yes . Across the street .
With my first impression , I judged Dax to be a monster that would scare kids and other dogs . But then I sat back and thought about why he snapped at me . It wasn ’ t because he was a mean dog . He just didn ’ t know me , and when his human was out of sight , he probably got a little scared . With his new proximity to my family ( I have 3 preteen children ), I decided the best route would be to make friends with him . It turns out that he is just a big baby that loves people and getting his head and belly scratched . . . and bacon .
I guess the moral of the story is that most dogs are playful and loveable when you treat them with the same respect ! On that rare occasion that you see a nervous or enraged dog , don ’ t try to calm it down . . . give it some space !
Beau Boyd Editor , DarlingDog . com
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