Every Adonis Has His Achilles Heel

Bartholomew moved with us from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. I quickly learned that my Adonis of a dog had one major flaw. He got car sick virtually every time he set foot in a vehicle, whether we drove 400 miles or around the block. To say travel with him was a challenge is an understatement. It was more like a drag and a nightmare combined.

Bartholomew

We quickly learned that if we got on the highway and traffic flowed, Barth felt fine. The local traffic with its stops and slow-downs, really turned his stomach and resulted in a major clean-up of the car.

So as my husband and I made our long drives and got within walking distance of our final destination, we developed a strategy. I readied Barth for the great escape, affixing his leash. The car slowed and the second it stopped I jumped out, grabbed Barth and walked with him the last half mile or so. 

With adrenaline flowing and heart pumping Barth and I met up with my husband about 10 minutes later. I felt like I had gone through the gauntlet but arrived a victor -- sometimes sweaty, sometimes drenched from the rain but always grateful that the car remained clean.

Needless to say, we kept road trips with Barth to a minimum.

Love At First Sight

Adonis on the Hunt,
Illustration by Jacob Matham, 1607-1610. 

I took one look at him and felt cupid’s arrows pierce my heart. He stood tall and cast a big presence with 120 pounds of pure muscle. Perfectly proportioned, I thought of him as the Adonis of German Shepherds. My soon-to-be husband’s dog, Bartholomew, would soon become my best friend and protector.

I always wanted a German Shepherd. I grew up hearing stories about Suzy, my mum’s German Shepherd that she had to leave in England when her family emigrated to America. When mum talked about Suzy she got a wistful look, explaining that having a dog like Suzy gave you confidence.

I wanted a Suzy but lived in an apartment in the Bronx with a no dogs policy. So for the time being, cats (who thought they were dogs) would have to do and my confidence would have to wait.

When I got married, I finally got my Suzy with Bartholomew. And so began the Barth years, the building of our family, the growing of my confidence and the realization that even an Adonis has an Achilles heel.

About Not My Dogs

I love dogs but...I have a realistic attitude about them. I know they are animals, pets, companions and occasionally intuitive. Most times they act dumber than stone. 

You see, I consider myself a dog person, having lived with dogs for years and years. I cannot picture myself without at least one pet pooch. However, you will never hear me tell you my dogs possess incredible insight, intelligence, and have a way of predicting the future.

Unlike many dog owners I know what I got with my dogs. They lack perfection, sometimes work hard at becoming an irritant, and occasionally drive me to raising my voice like a raving maniac to tell them to stop barking.

When I rented a cottage in Maine, deciding to take my dogs on a vacation, the rental agent warned me that barking dogs would present a problem. I replied, Not my dogs.

This blog lays testament to the truth about life with dogs and what I know but typically don’t confess (especially to a rental agent). And even though I may try to distance myself at times from my dogs, I do love them. In retrospect, some of our best and most memorable times occur when I want to tell the world Those are not my dogs.