Different strokes for different folks

Tall or short, skinny or chunky, long-haired or short-haired. Which dogs are the best dogs?

Photo by Silvana Carlos on Unsplash

When I was a kid I loved Cocker Spaniels. There was something about those long, feathered ears and enormous dark brown eyes. I imagined that if I had a Cocker Spaniel I would take her everywhere, even march in the town parade.

As an adult, I tend to go for medium-sized athletic types, fairly short-haired. I realize that I’ve had three of the same type of dog, all mixed breeds, that look remarkably like Shelby, the dog I have now, a whippet/hound mix.

I suppose I return to the same type of dog in an effort to feel I am close to the dog I lost to old age. A psychiatrist would tell me I have Dog Replacement Syndrome or something like that. (I made that up.) But, I believe that a certain type of dog appeals to me, not just due to the love I had for my previous dog, but because athletic, medium-sized dogs are great for hiking. And I love to hike.

Then Tucker came along and threw a toy wrench into things. He’s a long-haired miniature dachshund, elderly, toothless, mostly deaf. His photo came across my social media feed and I couldn’t leave him in the shelter.

Tucker is not athletic. In fact, he trips over ant hills and sometimes falls over. He’s ridiculously small and vulnerable, and his only obsessions are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

And me. I guess one could say he’s obsessed with me, but I don’t know if this counts because I feed him breakfast, lunch, and dinner, his three favorite meals of the day.

What about the medium-sized, short-haired, hiking companion I normally go for? Well, I couldn’t be happier with him. Tucker has revealed to me the secret benefits of having a toy dog. He’s small enough to take with us on vacation. He doesn’t have to go for a walk, though he does like a little runabout in his new stroller.

With a dog like Tucker, I can sit on the couch with a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream and read all day. Shelby, on the other hand, tells me we have to use it or lose it.

I suppose there might come a day when I will give up the athletic types, but I’m happy (and my body is happy) that it’s not today. For now, I can have the best of both worlds.