Gotcha Day

~ GOTCHA DAY ~

1 YEAR AGO TODAY, WE GOT OUR BUDDHA

Buddha is a Tibetan Terrier. However, he's not a terrier. They were given the English terrier name by European travelers because they resemble known terrier breeds. 

When I tell people that he's stubborn and pretty much does things in his own way, they say, "Oh that's the terrier in him." Actually, his Tibetan name is  Tsang Apso for the breed. Tsang (sang) from the province. Apso (app so) roughly translates shaggy or bearded dog. Bred in the Lamaist monasteries nearly 2,000 years ago to be temple dog, family companions, herding, and alert dogs from the 'Lost Valley' that became isolated as the result of an earthquake around 1300. Tsang Apso were holy dogs and given as good luck tokens that would carry peace and prosperity to their monasteries. They were never sold but only given as gifts. Blessed by the monks as well as the nomadic shepherd, these dogs have developed a remarkable tuning with humans. Often called 'little people' due to their loving nature and human expressions. They are exceptionally brave. Some may say they have a rebel spirit because of their high intelligence. 

Buddha has a strong DNA link to his original Tsang Apso nature. He's all of those qualities and more. 


Buddha has not been an easy dog like Fred (it's probably not even fair to compare the two of them), but we were amazed from the start how vastly different they were in nature and personality. 


Buddha was always moving, searching, climbing, tugging, barking and biting. His bark is worse than his bite. It's loud, ear piercing pitchy, and demanding. He didn't have an off switch. He wasn't naturally puppy affectionate. Some Tibetans don't like to be touched until they form their bond on their own terms (I learned that later). I lived for 9:30pm when I could pick up our little exhausted puppy and cuddle him for 30 minutes until he had to go outside before bedtime. Our bodies were scratched and scarred. He had food resource guarding issues like that of a starved wolf pup. 

And like all new dog owners who puppy proof their house, we had to clear off and put away everything up to 3-feet high.  I cried a lot those first few months. I was completely beside myself how to relate to, and keep up with, Buddha. Cuteness was the only thing he had going for him those first 6 months. 

But then he was neutered. Overnight he became affectionate and cuddly. He finally came to us instead of the other way around. He'd sit next to us and eventually climb up onto our laps instead of the end tables. We started to believe he actually liked us as his humans. 

                                                                    

I am his person. He thinks he's Kevin Costner and I'm Whitney Houston. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda dig the fact that he searches me out and runs to me first when I walk in the door. I'm his 'charge'. His job is to guard and stay near me. Including when I go to the bathroom. I'll often have to tell him, 'It's okay,  I'm good, or I'm right here, You can relax." 





Sometimes Buddha will forget he's on duty and will go hang with Rich. We're grateful that he's equally affectionate. 

Buddha at my feet while I wash dishes. 

As a true Tsang Apso Tibetan, he is a loyal companion. If we are in the kitchen, he sits at our feet while we cook or clean. We have to be careful to step over or around him. He's not going anywhere. We've gotten good about looking down before taking hot things off the stove. It's become endearing. 

There is NO faking or tricking Buddha. If you don't have a treat, he's not going to drop the ball or rope. He'd make a great poker player. If you have a treat, he will pull a rabbit out of his hat and recite the alphabet (in his doggy voice). Otherwise, forget it. No treat, no dropping it. It's a lot like dealing with a teenager. 

I had a song for Fred when we went walking everyday. So I made up a song for Buddha when we go to the doggy park: "We're going to go to the doggy park. We're going to go to the doggy park. We're going to go to the doggy park. We're going to go to the doggy park. We're gonna run and jump and wrestle and play, with all your furry pals today. The doggy park is where it's at, because Buddha boy love that. We're gonna go to the doggy park. We're gonna go to the doggy park." 

We sing the song so he knows he's going to the doggy park. Nothing gets his little butt shimmying out the door faster. He even lets us put his car seat harness on with no fuss. 

 We spend a lot of time at the doggy park here in town. It's a great place for Buddha to run off his high octane energy. He starts off so fluffy and ends up looking like the dog from the black lagoon. He always finds the ONLY muddy hole. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Which means we do a lot of baths.

For the last year, we've had a few hiccups with Buddha with his strong alert guard dog nature. He isn't happy with people coming to the house. Out in public he was lurching at cars, bikes, and people that walked by. It was a danger to himself and us. We called in a local dog trainer, Rick Bailey from LoveDogs, who works with reactive dogs. He is able to see that Buddha isn't being aggressive; he's just making all the decisions. We haven't solved all the problems yet. Buddha still reacts and incessantly barks when people come over. But there are small improvements. We are enjoying going to the farmers markets. Buddha is curious and calm. Rick helped Buddha to be more social out in public. This is a huge progress. 

Buddha is pretty predictable at 14months old. He is predominately verbal. However, often he will sit like a statue and stare at you to read his mind. There are three choices: Feed me. Take me out to poop. Play with me. We run through the list to try to figure out what he's asking. We get up to do his bidding. He will run or herd you in one of three directions: Food bowl, Back door, or Toy basket. 

Our life has been forever changed by this 20-lbs of 'in the moment' Tibetan singularity (depending on what he wants or needs). We each serve the other in ways that are time consuming and sacrificing. He does his job. We do ours. We're still figuring it all out. Rich and I both confess that we wish our life with Buddha was easier. But we wouldn't trade our furry little monk-dog teacher for the world.