The words that made my day

Ginger, Anko and Toro play while waiting to go walking
Watch Toro's reaction. He looks really comical.



I was walking Ginger, Anko and Toro the other day in a big park in our neighborhood.
That day for some reason there were more people with their dogs out walking than usual. I got to stop and speak three of them during our walk, each of them separately.

Their dogs were all good. They waited patiently while their owners and I talked.
My dogs did well too -  Ginger wanted to play with them and was sniffing and pawing the other dogs to try to get their attention. Anko is still skeptical of stranger dogs and stood still, sometimes gave them soft growls. She did her best though.
Toro - now, Toro. His family considered him to be a rather "problem child" than a "well-behaved good example".

He was thought that he would behave aggressively towards strangers including kids and other animals.
Well, he stood behind us, every now and then he got bored and walked to the other dog and sniffed him, went back in his position, waited patiently - and for the whole time he was totally silent!
I'd say he was the best-behaved dog of all the dogs with us.
Even the other owners, every single one of them commented on Toro's good behavior.

"That's a very good dog, huh? He is so quiet and patient"
"Usually Chihuahuas get mad when surrounded by strangers like this. He's so good"

To me those words meant more than just casual complements.
I was really happy from the bottom of my heart to hear them.
They made my day.

At one point, I feared that his family may think about giving him up for his problematic behaviors.
I knew they were extremely caring and considerate people, and they loved Toro.
But under special circumstances, you sometimes have to make a tough decision.

I see lots of ads on craigslist that go;
"We love her but we can't keep her any more"

While I don't trust those words, you can justify your abandoning your pets by saying it's for financial reasons, moves, foreclosures and allergies...whatever sounds convenient.
I know how many dogs are in the shelters and how most of them don't ever make it out again.

Maybe I was paranoid, but knowing that Toro is a good dog that his family should be proud of, helps me feel better.
I think daily walk with us has given him a sense of confident, and he looks more and more comfortable and secure. The changes are so obvious.

If you know a dog with behavioral problems, you definitely should tell his owner to take him out for walks for a starter.
I can tell it's the best and quickest bonding method for the dogs and their owners.
And a great thing is, the human owner gets to exercise, too!