WORKS

Crossing

Milo is home.
He’s in his crate because it’s the humane thing to do. An unfamiliar place where everything is new, unaware of hazards. This is his safe place for now, free from risk of injury or escape - and Bruno, who outweighs him 2 to 1 and will do what alphas do; without meaning harm but asserting his dominance in the pack, rightfully so, as Milo is a newcomer and we’re not familiar. But we are a pack, and the time has come to talk about dogs.

My belief about dogs is solitary, as is my habitat (our habitat). Raised around dogs to a lesser degree than raised by dogs (if you knew anything of my upbringing you would not be surprised) they were my friends and defenders. Even the dogs who were foes would defend me in a pinch, part of the code.

In our world the canine is a singularity and kindred spirit who has nothing to learn from us in order to be canine, but if allowed has much to give in exchange for our gifts to him.

A few words first: gender specificity is morally correct if the only goal is shorthand. We have a language which is not shared with the canine, and our anxieties are not his. Human construct only factors into domestication. The canine is not human. Deal with that.

Maybe our methods seem a bit unorthodox to you, but we don’t concern ourselves with that, we are busy Crossing the Species Divide. Right now, we are in observation mode, watching one another, learning the cues and routines; calculating body language. We are watchers.

The canine possesses two motivations: drive and anxiety. His every action is the result of one or the other. Each of the words drive and anxiety have more than one definition: drive can be instinctual motivation, and anxiety can be creative. Suppress drive and it will be replaced by anxiety.

We can restrain, control, tamper with the genome, tell ourselves he loves us - no one knows for certain, and still, we are no match for a dog’s wit. In a very short time, Milo will know us better than we know ourselves.

The Alpha doesn’t lead or rule - the Alpha serves for the good of all and any pack member will give their life for the privilege of serving. So there must be an alpha. There must also be an omega member, and it’s not going to be me, and hope it’s not you. Yet the omega member plays an equally important role and even has special privileges. Here we have feral cats. We let some of them roam the premises and even feed them. They occupy a position slightly below the rabbit, and we keep their numbers in check - thereby more rabbits.

We don’t exist for the purpose of serving all appetites. We are symbiotic, so long as that symbiosis serves our appetites as well; but the pack is a unit and must serve itself. What the canine offers us is a chance to be more human by learning to be more like an animal.

Taken as a group the canine can be quantified, examined, defined or prejudiced, like any other group, until isolated as an individual; then they are unique, with shared traits but in many ways unalike. If you are a new dog owner, there will be much to question yourself with. Take heart, we all go through it; you are not so much a new dog owner as you are owner of a new dog.

Having never exchanged money for any dog, yet having lived with pretty much every type, including the undomestic type; it was time to support the breeders, whose hard work and dedication enables these marvelous iterations of the canine.

Milo is no poor-me. He is an all-weather, purpose built monster; the handler had better decide what that single purpose is and quickly go to work. Be on the lookout for all sources of anxiety and feed the drive.

If we just cooperate with them, they might cooperate with us. Call me silly, but when traveling over mountainous terrain on foot; four strong legs and a powerful engine to drive them might be handy. Sure, your dog might keep up - but you won’t.

Ya’ gotta’ wan’ it! This is day three and Milo gets it. A word about Bruno up there: he is our definition of a leader - because at the moment he’s leading. Bruno will always be a leader because he earned his position in the rankings. Anywhere he goes people will stop and admire him as beautiful (which he is), “everybody loves Bruno” has become a mantra, a real chick magnet; fellas, you should be jealous.

Dogs are natural trail walkers because like all predatory mammals, they tend to follow the margins.

Here we are having a moment - a predator moment. Not growing up a fan of the terrier because of their relentless harassment when confined (they are worse than bluejays), keeping them in my adult life was never in the plan; not to mention that the bully types were often guard dogs or turned vicious. Some would spike their dog’s food with gun powder so the salt peter would drive them mad.
It should also be mentioned that we buried a lot of dogs, in the hundreds. We were witness to all manner of deaths among them, and a lot of trauma.
Today, trauma is the very last thing we want; the only thing required of my dogs is to be a dog. But the warfare continues, biologically; our dogs are under siege by inbreeding, overbreeding, distemper, rabies, parvo, and a host of other pathogens - and ticks. This time of year anytime we go out is a veritable tick-harvest. We are ground zero for Lyme disease here and after having it myself (along with Rocky Mountain spotted fever) and seeing it in dogs (including my own) we are hyper vigilant with the treatment plan.

Here are some things in these dogs which are desirable for our lifestyle: tall enough at the shoulders to reach without bending down, a light coat with lots of white especially around the head and neck (easy to see ticks), strength and agility with lots of drive, especially food drive and of course courage. The strange and unusual thing is that not only have breeders managed to breed the fight impulse largely out of the so-called pit bull, but he is now referred to as the nanny dog. Inveterate cuddlers and people lovers, although some folks still fear them, we receive only glowing appraisals, and among those who have them, they vow to have no other - and we agree.
Milo is an American Staffordshire Terrier, aka AmStaff, the only bully breed recognized by the AKC. We don’t dissuade people from calling him a pit bull, it’s ok.
Country Wit and Wisdom: below is Bruno setting a trail marker, he is, after all, navigator. Milo looking on.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Irresistibull Staffords and AmStaffs for bringing us Milo. A frequent question has been “why go so far for a dog?” My response is because it has to be the right dog. Seems we chose well.
So c’mon folks, chime in the comments and let’s show them some love.