It's not easy having the most popular dog in town. I mean, what with the paparazzi following us around and snapping pictures of me with my hair all askew and the constant pleading for interviews and appearances at ribbon cuttings.Still, every so often Truman doesn't make an ass of himself and, by default, me.
The other night I was going to meet a friend for an evening walk (hi, Mika!) and on my way over to her place, we ran into one of my neighbors. This guy is a charming older gentleman who I frequently see walking his cute, brindle Am Staff-mix. His dog is not only gorgeous but also well behaved, excepting that she doesn't like other dogs either. He and I frequently have shouted conversations with one another from opposite sides of the street while telling our dogs to "shhh. stop it. SIT! No, SIT! Good dog... shhhh. No! SIT."
Anyway, he was sans dog this time, so Truman and I stopped for a chat and he said, "He's really come a long way." I agreed and mentioned something about Truman being kind of a nightmare when I first got him. "I know", he said. Then he mentioned that he was talking to someone at 7-11 and saw me walking by on the other side of the street. The person he was with said, "See that dog? That's how I want MY dog to behave." "I told him, she's put a lot of work into that dog. He wasn't always like that. You've done a good job with him."
I was pleased as punch, and Truman wagged his tail in approval as we continued on our way.
One of my other friends had commented to me that "you hold your pets to a really high standard." Which is true, but I think it's especially important for bully owners to make sure that their dogs are shining ambassadors for the breed. No dog should be out of control or ill-mannered, but the general public tends to be a lot more forgiving of toy dogs or popular breeds. Pits definitely have a bad reputation (Thank you, Michael Vick.), and nothing makes me happier than when people meet Truman and ask what kind of a dog he is. As he is happily leaning on their legs and licking their hands, I can proudly say, "He's a pit bull!" Frequently, people are surprised and say things like, "But he's so sweet!" and it's a nice opportunity to dispell some of the negative sterotypes that surround these dogs.
And of course, his fan club continues to grow with every walk. Just yesterday, we ran into a group of kids who were so excited to find out that Truman loves sticks that they followed us on our walk and pointed out all the best looking sticks, and a waiter at Friendly's who commented "Awesome dog. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome." as we walked past the restaurant.
I'm seriously thinking about starting a fan club. I just hope Truman lets me join.
