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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Milo, our Rottweiler

I am always a little sad that friends and neighbours never get to see the tongue lolling smiley side of our Milo. Our dog is that Leather Pants Biker Dude who drinks milk and hugs Pooh Bear to bed. You either see the Leather Pants Biker Dude. Or you see Pooh Bear. You don't see them both together.

Milo greets every visitor with a snarl. When visitors come, my dog throws himself at the wrought iron gate teeth gnashing and paws akimbo. It's an impressive sight and sound because Milo weighs 28kg. One big dog against a heavy wrought iron gate. Who will win? The visitors to the house are never too sure. They usually hug the wall when they walk across my study to the bedrooms even though the gate separates them and Milo, and a distance of 3.5 m separate them from the gate.

Milo has got so big that the condominium guards call the house first before they arrive to do their rounds on the roof. This was because Milo chased one hapless guard right around the roof. I was very upset with Milo and very embarassed. And it cost me ONE whole apple pie to soothe the fears of our condominium's security guard corps.

Milo dislikes dark skinned men. When he was only a puppy, some dark-skinned men in blue overalls frightened him so badly that he peed where he was not supposed to. Since then, he reserves his most violent welcomes for dark-skinned men... complete with bared fangs and snapping teeth. When he is that way, I hardly recognise him at all.

He never barks at long-haired girls. He'll chase them with a happy smile on his face and look puzzled when he realizes that they're not his Darling (i.e., The Daughter).

I suddenly realize that he must have grouped humans into species. There is the species of tall, dark and ugly men (the scary ones) and the species of tiny long-haired and fair-skinned women (the nice ones that scratch his itch in places he can't reach) and feed him titbits by hand. I am told that Milo possesses the personality of a Rottweiler - a snarling wolf with strangers, but a lamb "en famille". The same person said that I should be proud of such a dog because he would guard both house and home, and be completely loyal to me. Still, I do wish Milo would be more sociable, like our neighbour's vegetarian Golden Retriever.

Our neighbour's Golden Retriever is terrified of Milo. He's skinny and quiet and will gently sniff one's hand when offered. Not frisky. Not nervous. Just calm and quietly friendly. Possibly, being vegetarian has something to do with it? It is quite unfortunate however, that the neighbour's vegetarian Golden Retriever has a poor appetite. The neighbour confided this sadly to me and proposed that it may be because of loneliness. It was very difficult for me not to volunteer my own theory... that ummm... dogs are actually carnivores. They eat meat, not soya beans.

6 comments:

Blur Ting said...

Poor Milo. He's so misunderstood.

Dogs have this thing with ark skinned people. Rusty used to terrorise our Indian workers at the farm. They were so happy when Rusty left. Then along came Harry and Bodhi. Both of them also bare their teeth at the workers, but are friendly towards everyone else. Strange.

My friend's black labrador (in Florida) is friendly to everyone expect to dark skinned people.

Maybe it has something to do with their vision. As you know, dogs's vision is not colourful. Maybe dark colours look extra threatening to them?

Fresh Fry aka 福星 said...

le sigh.....am sure Milo would never love me as i'm stranger + no long-haired chick. T_T

but i'm very fair though. maybe i've a 30% chance. but tat's still slim. hahahahahahahahaha...... =P

Petunia Lee said...

Ting - Yah lor... misunderstood...

Petunia Lee said...

Fry - Got chance lah... more than 30%.

Fresh Fry aka 福星 said...

human beings are quite mad when comes to their own-perceived notions. dogs vegetarian?! why don't they get a goat instead?? goats are surely vegetarian!

sorry being hot at this, but to me, it's animal cruelty by ignorance + insanity. and also because i love golden retrievers to the hoot.

Wen-ai said...

Milo is so funny but a really good guardian of the house. Good for you! My friend's Jap spitz only eats her dog biscuits and veggies + fruits. She's a vegetarian too, by choice! She doesn't like any form of meeat or fish. Only carrots, apples, brocoli and "crunchy" veggies/fruits. Weird huh? But my friend's mum is a vegetarian too... Hmmm, maybe that is why.