A Master's Personality

I have heard that if you keep a dog long enough that it begins to look like you.  I don’t know where that came from.  I never had a dog that looked like me.  I do believe though that a dog can take on your personality.  I do know of a case that I write about now.

My story began sometime after my graduation from High school.  I took on a job at the telephone company in downtown Nashville.  It was a time before the breakup of the monopoly of Southern Bell.  I had a good job working for “Ma Bell.”  But I didn’t see it at the time.  Because I wanted to work the same hours as my husband, I started working the night shift.  It was in the sixties and there I met two bosses that I would stay friends with.  Margaret was the Group Chief Night Operator.  She is deceased now.

Dot was the Night Supervisor.  She is still living and I talk to her often.  After both lost their husbands, they had moved in together to cut down expenses.  Since they lived together, it made visits to see them both easy.

They both had their own dog.  They lived in the house with them.  Both dogs were cocker spaniels.  Margaret’s dog was white and she had named her Goldie.  Dot’s dog was black and she had named him Inky.  These two dogs were as different as night and day.  But then; so were Margaret and Dot.  And they got along just fine.  Margaret was a quiet individual; whereas Dot was loud and boisterous.

The two dogs came across as comical to me.  The personality that came from each was the same as their owner.  Upon visiting them, Margaret would sit in her chair quietly holding the quiet Goldie.  Her personality and Goldie’s were both one of always low key.  Whereas; Dot’s dog Inky ran around growling at everyone.  And to a certain extent Dot had a growl too.  Dot’s words were known to bite.  I would take my children to visit with me.  On one occasion, Inky bit my son.  The dog had all shots.  He was a well taken care of dog.  But still it became in the future Inky was put in another room until the visit ended. The kids loved on Goldie, but learned quickly to keep their distance from Inky if he was left out.

Margaret would laugh about Dot’s dog and its personality.  We laughed too as that dog was just like Dot.  Dot didn’t appreciate the teasing.  But Margaret got the biggest kick out of encouraging the teasing from us too.

Don’t get me wrong.  Both ladies were good people.  But like everyone, we have our own personality.  We accept a person and their ways; or we don’t.  We accepted Dot and her dog.  And to this day, I am reminded still of Inky and Goldie.  Both dogs have since come and gone.  Dot always said, “You have that one love and nothing can replace it.”  Both Margaret and Dot had the strong bond of owner and Pet.  Neither got another dog!