How Duke got me

Just over ten years ago I was at a company Christmas party, and I noticed a small, very scared looking, white and black dog running around the room with a ribbon around its neck. A dog at out company party was usual, but it was not totally new. After the meal, when the gift exchange had started, Carolyn picked up the terrified looking little thing, dropped him in my lap and said, "Here's your dog!"


I had talked at times about various dogs, which had been in my life. I have been around dogs all my life and knew full well how they can enrich your life. Duke was going to teach me just how much we can affect their life.


As I said, he was one scared little boy. He was about one-year-old, and someone had been very abusive to him. If you picked up anything, he would cringe and roll over on his back in a posture of abject submission. As I said, that day, was over ten years ago. To this very day if anyone around him, even people he knows very well, pick up a fly swatter he will cringe and start shivering.


Some people say that dogs don't have long-term memory. My comment to this is, look at  Duke. He very definitely remembers fly swatters even though he has not been touched with one for over ten years. I have also noticed that he remembers people that he has not seen in years. So don't try to tell me that dogs don't remember.


I work in a job where I have extensive contact with the general public. Over the years, I have learned another thing about Duke, he is a very good judge of character. Duke is perhaps the friendliest dog I have ever encountered. He simply likes everyone, well almost everyone. If Duke doesn't like someone, you had better watch them. They are almost always bad news.


While it is possible to get Duke to bark at you if you startle him, almost always when he barks at someone there up to something that they should not be doing.


Of course, there is always an exception. Dukes exception is bicycles. If you are riding a bicycle anywhere close to him, he is going to bark at you. For some reason, he can't stand bicycle riders. A bicycle sitting around not being ridden is simply ignored by him. But if you climb on the thing and start to ride, he's going to let you know what he thinks about the thing. This does NOT apply to motorcycles. It must be that long term memory thing that everyone, other than Duke and every other dog in the world, knows that dogs don't have.


Another interesting thing about Duke is, as everyone knows, especially if they ever listen to any of the professional dog trainers on TV, dogs don't understand English. Interestingly enough just say the word donut around Duke, he'll teach you that he does understand that word. WARNING Duke even understands it if you spell it D O N U T. This is one of many words that he does not understand, in the English language.


Never forget, dogs prove every day that they are smarter than people. Don't believe me? Just how long did it take you to teach your dog to sit and roll over? Then think about how long it took them, to teach you to scratch them behind the ear.


Even dogs like a good neck rub.

POSTSCRIPT: Unfortunately, I lost Duke in 2014. I miss the boy and probably will until the day I die.