So as we were hanging out together in the living room, my sweet dog Bentley crawls up into my lap, lays his head on my chest and I fell right to sleep with him. It made me think how lucky I am to have such a sweet boy and the story of how he became mine.
Originally, he was adopted by my ex-boyfriend when we were in the beginning of dating. He really didn't have the time, money, or attention span to get a dog, but of course he picked him up anyway.
A few times, he brought Bentley over to my work to visit me when he was just a little guy and it was love at first sight. My ex estimated that the was about 3 months old. He had never bought a kennel for the little guy, but decided it was a good idea to lock him in the half bathroom and use that as a kennel.....obviously not a good idea. He adopted the dog and then the next day left him alone in the bathroom for over 8 hours and then was surprised when he came home to find that Bentley had pooped all over the bathroom and gotten it on the walls and all over himself.
I couldn't take it any more and I was able to find an old kennel for a friend and though it was too big, it was better than his current situation. I came over to visit my ex and Bentley, and the little guy was so happy when I sat on the floor with him, played with him and snuggled him. I am assuming not a lot of that was going on in that apartment since he seemed starved for attention. I also found that he had ticks in between his toes and on his legs. I had to give my ex a crash course in checking your pet for this stuff, removing them, and told him he needed to schedule a vet appointment which he had failed to do. From that visit on, Bentley was stuck to me like glue. When I would come over, Bentley would be in my lap, next to me, following me to the bathroom and then eventually sleeping on my side of the bed when I moved in.
Naturally when I left my ex I was determined to take Bentley with me.... and so I did! Over the year that I was with my ex, Bentley was my best friend. He was the one the snuggled with me when I would read or watch my shows, the one that was always happy to see me when I got home on my lunch break and then again from work for the day, and he was always following me around when ever I got up.
I was the one that took him to the vet on a regular basis, cleaned his ears, played with him and bought him toys, took him to training classes, and took him out for walks. If my ex had done even a fraction of these things, maybe Bentley would have taken to him as he did to me.
I couldn't leave to go to class in the evenings with out Bentley having separation anxiety and I found out why....when I would leave and he was alone, my ex basically gave him no attention and watched TV and played on his cell phone (story of our relationship). When I would come home a few hours later, Bentley was about to piss himself because my ex couldn't get up off the couch to take him less than 10 yards to go make his business.
Enough was enough, for both of our sakes I knew we both needed to go. So here it is 2 months after I left (to the date) and it made me thing: maybe I was meant to go through that relationship to end up with my best dog-friend. Bentley is, by far, the best thing that came out of that relationship. Since we moved back home with my parents, he is a happy guy, has other dogs to play with, my brother and my dad to snuggle and wrestle with, my mom to keep him company and let him out to potty while I am at class, and he does not have to be kenneled as much.
He still has his problems that were created by my ex though, and I am not sure if they can be fixed. Bentley is about 17 months old, he does very well with his potty training (sometimes he does pee in his sleep and I am not sure what causes that) and he listens to his commands. However, ever since before I moved in with my ex, Bentley has been aggressive with his food. I don't know what caused it since I was not there during all his meal times in the beginning, but I have tried everything to curb the aggression. We are currently feeding him in the garage, away from the other dogs, and while that works because he can eat in peace, he still gives warning growls if he is not done with his food and you come into the garage. He plays too rough with Tucker and the other dogs. I think this is more due to the fact that he is still a young pup and was raised for over a year in a single-dog household. While he has gotten better, he still has his moments when he is really excited and plays very rough.
No matter his faults, I would never think twice about getting rid of him. I am sure that if he ended up in an animal shelter they would put him down simply due to the fact that he is aggressive around food, and that is not his fault and was how he was conditioned by my ex and his sister. He is like my child, and you do not give a child up just because they have their problems. You love them, you work with them, you try to teach them the right way, and you keep them out of trouble so they do not injure themselves or others.
So that is the story of my love, my friend, my child. While he might not be perfect, he is mine and gives me back more than he will ever know. He is my friend who will always be there for me, never ignore me, is always happy to see me, and will never say anything to hurt my feelings. He is my work out partner who takes walks downtown and around the neighborhood with me, gets me off my ass to play fetch with him, swims in the lake with me, and has even paddle boarded with me. He is my snuggle buddy, keeps me warm, never lets me sleep alone, and shoves himself under my head so I can use him as a pillow. He is my protector and keeps strange people and strange dogs away from me with his large stature and deep bark. He is part of my family, he is my brother's friend, my mom's crazy canine kid, and my dad's snuggle buddy when I am in class.
No one has been able to pull on my heart strings the way he does, and maybe no one else ever will. Here is to my buddy, I love you Bentley.
Jenn
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