Hi Pen;

I was stepping with caution when I posted that, because I know this is a sensitive issue. But ............. maybe I shouldn't have. Your last paragraph about your son .............. as well as your first paragraph about Duke being special? I wasn't kidding when I said they are all special. What I meant to say is that dogs are special. That doesn't mean that I give them a post of honor among pets. We always get too attached to all of our animals. But dogs are a definite family member, and there's a very sound principle that backs this up. And .......... it's even a scientific principle at that, but that doesn't mean squat to me here.

Dogs are what is known as a social animal. I'm not sure why the term "lone wolf" was coined, because as far as I know, such a thing does not exist. Canines/dogs have to be part of a group. Take a dog home, and you become that group. But it's in the finer details where dogs become so special. Their loyalty is beyond reproach. They will die before they will let anything happen to you. Yes, some are much better defined than others in this arena. I'm sure that you know all about having to be cautious if you're playing with somebody's kids, and the family dog happens to be a German Shepard? They're famous for that. If they even suspect you're hurting that kid, they'll take your freaking head off. There's an entire class of breeds which are known for this. The only reason the Shepard is so famous for it, is because they worked to enhance this behavior when they developed the breed. But ............ another breed that's famous for the same thing? Yeah, Mastiffs are from this class of dog breeds. In my opinion, it really adds to them. And ............ just like the Shepard .......... they are one of the most intelligent breeds.

Which brings me to the point I wanted to make. One that a lot of people will laugh at you for talking about, but I know you won't. Dogs talk to us all the time. Especially this class of dogs. A lot of people don't realize it, but they do. They know every word you're saying. Well ........... maybe not every word, but they know exactly what you mean. I'm sure you know all about this. I'm sure that was what Duke was doing when he would look at you like you mentioned. We had a Shepard-Wolf hybrid that did the same thing. You could say something to him, and he would turn around and look you straight in the eye. And you would know exactly what he was communicating to you. Dogs are like that. We have thousands of conversations with them, yet a lot of people don't catch on. I can only speak for myself, but all of that adds up to an extreme level of attachment where I'm concerned. It sounds to me like your son caught on to this, so this will always be tough for him. Having other dogs is a plus though. When Thunder left us, we did not. And I'll never be able to have another dog. The connection is that deep. That's one thing I was thinking of when I said people need to take loyalty lessons from dogs. They really are special.

BTW, it was a smart move for your son to start paying a lot of attention to your other large dog. I think you know what dogs often do if one of their buddies dies? I'm having a hard time coming up with a member of the canine family that lives their lives solo. Do you know of one? You could almost say a Fox, but they do what the Wolf does. Mate for life. Their own little group. Perhaps a big part of our attachment to canines is the fact that they have so many of the same characteristics that we do? And most of them are always right there ........ or close.

Tim