Plays Well with Others

“Dad,” Robby said, “Luke’s drinking Ricky’s water — and he didn’t even ask!” Luke is a big German shepherd, about three times Ricky’s size, who visits from time to time.

“How do you know?” I answered. “Maybe he did ask. And I’m sure Ricky would say yes.”

All of us dog-owners insist we have the cutest dog, the most loyal dog — but I can say, without a speck of doubt in my mind, that I have the best-natured dog in the entire world. Is he stubborn? OMG. Is he food-obsessed? Don’t get me started. But this little beagle does not have a mean bone in his body. He’s open and accepting and eager to meet any dog or human who crosses his path. He’s so overjoyed to have another dog for company that he’ll gladly let his guest drink from his bowl, asking nothing in return but a little sniff here, a little whiff there.

I’d have to say that Ricky’s more of a follower than a leader with his dog friends. He’s happy to trail behind them and do whatever they want to do. Even though he hates to swim, he’ll dash behind his buddies right to the surf — but then jam on the brakes at the water’s edge. He’s trusting — but he’s not stupid.

He looks up to most dogs — literally. Reggie down the block, Jack on Taylor Lane, China on Greens Farms Road — they all tower over him, and he treats them respectfully. But it’s not just a size pecking-order thing. Ricky looks like a giant next to his friend Nena, the chihuahua, but he stills dotes on her and craves her company, and the thought of bullying her would never cross his mind.

The only dog behavior that mystifies Ricky, who’s seven-and-a-half now, is when a young pup strikes that front-paws-on-the-ground, rear-end-in-the-air, let’s-have-some-fun pose, and starts frisking around like a wind-up toy. Ricky just tilts his head, raises his ears, and waits patiently. Kind of like: What are you doing? All I want to do is sniff your butt.

He wasn’t always such pleasant company. When Ricky was a puppy himself, we traveled up to Boston to visit good friends for the weekend. Ricky almost drove Brodie, their very mellow, well-behaved, super-friendly but somewhat more mature Golden, to distraction, because he wanted to play 24/7. Ricky was so distraught when the two were put in separate rooms overnight that he howled to wake up the dead; I finally had to take him outside and sleep with him in the way-back of our Acura SUV, which was parked in our friends’ driveway. As we packed up to leave on Sunday morning, I’m positive Brodie was thinking, “Thank God!” (See a recent photo of the two of them now that Ricky’s mellowed out a bit, above right.)

Hey, look. Ricky’s a gregarious, social, sweet-tempered little dog. As kindergarten teachers used to write on the report cards of the better-behaved kids back in the day, he “plays well with others.”

There are certainly worse things you could say about a dog.