Zahara and Shiloh
8 May
If you’ve read me for even the shortest amount of time, you’ll know that I have two dogs. Max, who’s six or seven and Ollie, who’ll be 1 next month.
Max has gone through a lot. He was picked up as a stray when I came across him at the Animal Orphanage. Shortly after he came home, he bit me twice. Hard. He hated anybody who wasn’t white and was really skittish around kids. He’d shake if you held up a stick or broom or anything that you could beat him with. We worked and worked the kinks out with lots of love and treats, and he turned into my little cuddlebug. He loves and licks people of all colors and sizes. He moved from the first apartment, to the house, then moved to this apartment with me. He put up with me leaving him with BvP for the first 8 months, then taking him to live with me last February. He adjusted to a new guy and a new puppy. Max is a champ.
Last year, we got Ollie. Ollie was from a cocker spaniel breeder in Pottstown. His birth was completely planned for and welcomed. He lived his first 2 months in a lovely suburban home with a big yard and lots of furry friends to play with. Then he came to live with us, and found some new furry friends, and an apartment with lots of activity, people, toys and two lovely parks in walking distance. He’s completely loving, trusting and outgoing with EVERYONE and with the exception of the neutering has never had a sad day in his short life. And he’s still a puppy, which makes him clumsy and adorable and overly enthusiastic about everything.
That, along with his floppy ears, soft curly fur and instantly recognizable breed, draws people to him. They’ll pet him in the elevator, in the lobby, and during walks. We get people approaching us in the park asking about him and asking to pet him. He loves the attention and responds in kind with licks, grunts and the occasional trickle of excitement-pee. Which people STILL think is adorable.
Max loves pets and attention but is far past the ga-ga crazy puppy “LOVE ME!” stage. His fur is brown and black and wiry, not soft and curly and inviting like Ollie’s. Problem is, many of the adults who pet Ollie completely ignore Max. This is not a problem with children…they tend to love and pet both dogs. But teens and adults will pet Ollie, ask about his breed, and ask if he’s a good dog. Max’ll sniff their shoes and hands cautiously, but he usually gets the shaft. Then he’ll shuffle back to my feet and sit there, patiently waiting for the Ollie love-fest to end.
This breaks my heart and short of seeming like an overbearing parent (“Make sure you pet Max too!”) I have no idea what do. WM and I just pet Max ourselves and tell him he’s a good boy.
NB: The post title comes from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s two daughters. Zahara was adopted from Ethiopia…had a shitty start but lucked into a charmed life with two loving parents and pretty much any luxury she could ever want. Shiloh, her little sister, was born into this Hollywood lifestyle and is regularly dubbed America’s most beautiful baby. While the Jolie-Pitts show equal attention to both girls – at least in photos – Shiloh is fawned over more by everyone else.
