They say that people tend to have dogs that are similar in appearance and personality to their owners. We didn't start out that way. My first dog as an adult was a bassett hound. He was the runt of the litter, and the only one with a light tan and white coat. We named him Flash (I have a soft spot for Dukes of Hazard) and he was the love of my life for nearly 15 years. And although he and I definately shared some personality traits (patience, slow but steady pace, wheezing upon climbing a set of stairs, and fear of spiders), I can't say that he was the personality epitome of the Little household.
And then we got Ben the English Mastiff. He is named after the Big Ben clock in England. We had done a lot of research on the breed, but I had never actually met one in person. I will never forget the day that I went to the breeder's house- I rang the doorbell and what sounded like a thunderstorm erupted from within, and two of the biggest animals I had ever seen in my life bounded to the door. I swear I almost peed myself. Ok, maybe I did pee. A little. It was reflex.
Once I got over how big they were, I realized their gentle demeanor. The puppies were only 6 weeks old and already almost as big as my basset hound had been. The 10-year old (then only 5) and I sat on the floor and played with all of them, trying to decide who would be the next Little. And then I noticed one puppy sitting quietly watching the big screen TV. I could tell he was really looking at it, because his head would move left or right with the action on the screen. Taking this as a sign of intelligence, I proclaimed that he was "the one".
Five years later, Ben weighs in at around 175-180 pounds. He is protective but gentle, playful but patient, and leaves turds the size of my old basset hound in the backyard. Where Flash had relatively been MY dog, Ben is OUR dog, and I would say his physical and personality traits are much closer to his human beings than our previous canine. He is always the center of attention wherever he goes, whether on walks or when visitors come to the house. People have been known to regularly take pictures of him or with him when they come over (selfies or putting their small children next to him so that his size is apparent in the pic), sending them to friends and family with captions such as, "Holy moly look at my friends' dog!"
Ben loves it when my husband is at work. Because that means he gets to sleep in bed with me. Some mornings I wake up and he is curled at my feet, and others he has his head on my husband's pillow like a human. He's so big, there have been several times I have scooted closer in the middle of the night or as I first wake up, subconsciously thinking it's my husband- only to discover morning dog breath and receive a sloppy kiss that definately has less finesse than my husbands...
This morning was one of those mornings. The alarm went off, and I turned to catch a few more moments of snuggle time with my hubby. Instead, I found this face. I swear he asked if I wanted to spoon.
Today's pic celebrates how dogs are truly part of the family. I love this dog, all 175 "Little" pounds.
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