Rusty and me

Cookie ran forward to greet us as usual when I pulled into my parent's garage last night. That was when I noticed his left eye was injured. I called the pet taxi to bring him to the hospital as soon as possible. Being a Sunday night, he could only come the next morning.

It would be impossible for me to bring Cookie to the vet myself for he is a tough one to handle. While he's very sweet natured, he's also highly elusive and sneaky. He's so used to running around freely on the farm, even leashing him is a humongous task. It took dad and a friend an entire morning trying to catch and restrain him while waiting for the pet taxi's arrival.

Incidentally his eye is fine now. The vet thinks he had been stung by a bee and had given him an antibiotic jab. I suspect my parents will have a tough time applying eye drops over the next few days.

Do you realise how dogs and their owner can be so similar? I'm not sure who Cookie resembles in our family but I know Rusty is like me in so many ways.

He loves walking and can go on for miles, as far as his little legs can carry him. Though he sometimes goes off-track and wanders into places he's not supposed to go, he brings himself back on track again, sometimes a little injured but certainly wiser.

He has a stubborn streak in him too. He bull-dozes his way through with such dogged determination, he can be quite unstoppable. Yet, when I rein him in for a good reason, he relents and listens to orders.

He can be quite the multi-tasker. He can walk and crap at the same time while sniffing other dog's pee. He's highly observant, his ears are perked up and he's always ready for action.

Yet at our dinner table, he displays an incredible amount of self-discipline and is not tempted to steal food that does not belong to him. He's happiest when I share my cheese and peanuts with him. I like to think that he is a discriminating eater with a simple palate like me.

He dislikes rainy days and would cower in fear when lightning strikes. I have come to hate rainy days too. We're happiest when we're outdoors, romping about under the clear blue sky.

Unlike the noisy dogs in our neighbourhood, Rusty is the quiet one who doesn't bark or whine very much. He can be very sociable and tolerant of other dogs but when pushed to the corner, he will not hesitate to retaliate. He is no pushover!

While he can be a self-assured little dog, he can suddenly become insecure when left alone in a strange place. That's when he feels that nobody loves him anymore and he's all alone in this big big world. Give him a bit of tender loving care and he becomes the most contented pooch in the neighbourhood.

The best thing is, he such a low-maintenance guy. He doesn't need expensive grooming sessions or exquisite gourmet food. He listens to instructions without having to attend obedience class. He keeps himself fit by demanding lots of walks (preferably 3 times a day). He makes sure he gets enough beauty sleep and rest every day. He doesn't even need a special bed because he shares mine.

See, my dog is so like me.