I’ve never truly understood people who don’t enjoy the company of animals. Yes, cleaning their poop and living with a slightly torn up sofa are not favorites of mine either, but looking into the eyes of a devoted pet and seeing pure, unconditional devotion and trust makes all of that so worthwhile.
My dog Sonny became a member of the family in February 2005. He was eight weeks old at the time and I could hold him in one hand. His floppy little ears and white sock-like markings warmed my heart but the furrowed brow and pleading brown eyes simply did me in. I wasn’t particularly fond of the name (the breeder had named him Sonny) having leaned toward more exotic Russian names for my two cats, Sasha and Boris. I ruminated over Ivan the Terrier which gave me a giggle or Misha which I’d always loved or even Ilya like “The Man From Uncle”. My bubble was burst by my husband who absolutely loved the name Sonny, not because he’s half Irish (Sonny Boy and all that), but because of James Caan’s character in “The Godfather”. There was no dissuading him but then, after all, I had named my cats. I’ve gotten over my aversion to the name, but I still entertain the fear that if we ever get a female Rat Terrier, we’ll have to name her Cher. Sonny and I go for a walk every day. Well…actually, it’s more like a drag; he drags me out the door and down the street and five minutes later, after his morning ablutions (to put it elegantly), I’m dragging him down the street because he wants to go home. Although born in East Tennessee, he can’t stand the heat and humidity that constitute our spring, summer and fall seasons. I’m positive he would like nothing more than to be “The Dog in the Air-Conditioned Bubble”. I carry water for him and stop every few minutes so he can take a few laps and look at me with disdain. He stops at every semblance of shade and looks at me as if I’m mad. With constant coaxing, cajoling and offering bits of dog treats (he’s on a diet so one treat becomes 4-6) I finally get him to stay outside for about 45 minutes; not great considering we only go about four blocks! However, we both need the attempt at exercise no matter how feeble it may be. It’s time to go to bed now and Sonny is now nuzzling my ankle because he knows it’s bed biscuit time. Sometimes I’d swear he’d go to his crate at noon if he thought he’d get his bed biscuit. We started giving him a little biscuit in order to train him to go to bed. It was the only time of day he’d get that biscuit and boy would he scamper upstairs when the word “bed” was mentioned. Now, he gets only half a biscuit but he still loves bedtime. As I look down at his “worried” little face with the furrowed brows and the pleading brown eyes I still see that puppy that burrowed into my heart two and half years ago and I fall in love with him all over again. Download your free copy of the Long Life Dog Book to help your best friend live a longer, healthier life. To see pictures of Rat Terriers and find out more about them, please visit Rat Terrier Life Span and for information on keeping your best friend trim, take a look at Dog Weight Problems
