My Multiple Dog Personality: Part 2

In my last post, I disclosed my multiple dog personality – my adoration for larger breed dogs along side my actual pet ownership of small breed dogs (Shih Tzus to be precise).

Upon close examination of my feelings, I’ve been able to identify the reasons for my small dog affinity.  First, there is a very practical reason.  Throughout almost all of my adulthood, I’ve lived in condominiums or apartments.  While these living spaces have not been tiny, they also have not been expansive.  It wouldn’t seem fair to a large dog to be confined to a limited space, especially one with no private yard or secure outdoor area in which to run and play.  Our Shih Tzus weigh approximately thirteen pounds each and are fairly sedentary; this is a perfect pet size and lifestyle to negotiate around a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo. 

The second reason relates to ergonomics.  When I’m not performing dog walking or pet care services for my clients like kitty home visits or pet sitting, I tend to spend time working on my laptop.  One of my dogs, Lucy, loves to be held.  It’s much more comfortable to sit in my office doing computer-based work with her in my lap than it would be with an affectionate and well-intentioned Weimaraner pinning me down in a half nelson.

Third, I’m very tactile and affectionate with dogs.  That said, it is so easy and personally soothing to be able to wrap my arms completely around a small dog like a Shih Tzu than it would be to pick one body part like a Great Dane’s head and scratch both of its ears only having to leave its feet for a later reflexology treatment. 

Finally, there is the small female dog factor.  This one is a bit more elusive. Nonetheless, I experience immense joy when my two girls come home from a day of beauty at their grooming salon with decorative bows adorning their backs.  I’ve resisted dressing my dogs in canine haute couture and crowning them with diva-esque tiaras, but the feminine bows certainly add something and I look forward to picking them up and seeing which colors Jeanine has selected for them this time. 

And so while I yearn to own a larger breed “guy’s dog” someday, for right now I’m perfectly happy with my two Shih Tzu daughter dogs as they create their own feminine mystique in an otherwise all male household.  You Go Girls!  Your Dad promises to manage his multiple dog personality and keep his big dog feelings in check.  “Doctor, how much is that therapy going to cost me?”