December 19, 2013 – My little “Stickeen”
I used to be afraid of dog. As a child growing up, I often harassed by wild hungry dogs wandered inside the narrow alley where my grandmother’s house located. They followed me around, sniffed my bottom and frightened me to death. Since then, dog and I never got along. Few years ago, I read John Muir classic tale “Stickeen”. The story is about the relationship/adventure between John Muir and a little dog named “Stickeen”. I fell in love with Stickeen after I finished reading the book. My fear of dog, somewhat, loosens a bit.
One day around my apartment building, I saw a cute little Pekingese. We never met, but for some reason, he kept staring at me. No matter how hard his owner try to drag him away, the dog did not budge. Unlike most dogs, this tiny “lion-dog” seemed to have a high opinion of himself. Once I approached him, instead of jumping on me, licking my hands and trying to get my attention, he simply looked at me with his big round eyes, unenthusiastically turned around with his tail still fanning left and right, then walked away. His owner looked at me apologetically with a smile. I knew right away who is the boss in this relationship.
Few days later, I met this pair again. The Pekingese saw me from a far distance. He was very alert, still aloof and stared at me with its ears upright. I approached them, said hello to the owner and looked down to the dog. Again, he looked away as if I did not exist. I did not give up, bent down and tried to pet him. The Pekingese smelled my hand and finally let me touch him. Once I put my hand under its chin and gently rubbed his fur, he curved up a little, and yielded to me, this time his eyes were more friendly.
One evening before entering into my apartment, I espied them on the hallway. They are my neighbor, living right next door to me! No wonder this dog stared at me since day one. He smelled my presence every day. When we finally met, he recognized my scent, so he stopped. I went up to the owner and introduced myself. I lowered myself to get closer to the dog, and started talking to him.
“So you are my neighbor! How are you little one?” I kept caressing the dog.
This time, he loved it. When I was ready to go, he started barking, not wanting me to go. His owner consoled him and took him into the apartment. I looked back and waved goodbye. It was the beginning of our affair.
When I got home, I did some researches about this special breed and found out why this little master has such an arrogant altitude. This proud creature is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. Its ancestors were considered sacred dogs and could only be owned by Chinese royalty. People without noble rank had to bow to them. No wonder this little buster is so proud.
Now morning on my way to work, I greet them often. The owner told me that his dog scented me long before he saw me. The Pekingese would stop along the side walk, refuse to go futher, just looked at the direction where I soon appeared. However, this little prince still would not show its enthusiasm, just stood there and waited for me to stroke him. Lately, he became very playful, as soon as I extended my hand to him, he jumped out of my reach, teased me, and wanted me to play. This morning, he teased me again, I was in a hurry so I left him. He was confused, started barking. When I looked back, he was stilling standing there staring at me with those adorable brown eyes. I waved goodbye and promised to see him again tomorrow.
When I retire, definitely I will have a Pekingese dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment