Honoring ‘Benji’ on National Dog Day

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO – As today (Friday, Aug. 26) is National Dog Day, I feel I must pay tribute to Benji, our three- year-old combination Schnauzer and Lhasa Apso.  “Benji” is short for Benjamin Harrison, so, in our eyes at least, our dog is very presidential.

Every morning when I awaken, Benji follows me from the bedroom to the family room, and jumps up beside me on the couch for a session of mutual admiration.  You can look in a dog’s eyes and see how much he/ she loves you, and with Benji it is very evident.  Then I give him his morning treat, which he devours while I make the coffee.

Thereafter, Benji will exit the doggie door to check out what nature has in store for us, and finding that I have in the interim relocated to my home office, he will return to our bedroom to snuggle with Nancy until she at last awakens.

Later, depending on where Nancy locates herself – her office, the kitchen, or the family room – Benji will take a position on a hallway rug approximately half way between us.  One ear he cocks toward me; the other toward Nancy, just in case either of us need him.

He likes to go outside for sun and fun and of course for his self-appointed sentry duty.  He literally patrols our yard, running to greet any stray lizard, bird, butterfly, or gopher that might make an appearance.  Why do they run from him? he must wonder.  He only wants to play.  Sometimes he navigates his way up the inside of our yucca, hoping to be able to watch a lizard, or perhaps some ants.  How he’d love to talk with them!

If either of us go out, he waits somewhat patiently for us at the front window.  If Nancy and I both are out of the house, Benji likes to keep himself company with little reminders of us.  Typically he will take a shoe to wherever he is sleeping.  He doesn’t chew on the shoe, but he likes to keep it near.  For some reason known only to him, he never takes two of the same pair.  So it is always an adventure for Nancy and me to find shoes that match.

I am convinced that dogs do not have any sense of time.  If you are separated from them for an hour or for decades (as was the case of Odysseus in The Odyssey), they are just as happy to see you.

If we welcome people into the house, Benji is perhaps ten times more effusive that we are.  He’ll jump up, roll over, find a toy and bring it to them – anything to get them to play with him.  But if it becomes clear they are here for other reasons, he will lie down quietly and soon start dreaming of fetching a ball or having a tete-a-tete with some other animal, maybe even a cat.

He tolerates and in turn is tolerated by other dogs, especially my daughter’s dog, Buddy, who is a little Chihuahua mix.  But let that dog jump into Nancy’s lap, or even mine, Benji will set up a racket.  He seems to say, ‘You can come to my house, eat my food, drink my water, use my doggy door, mark your territory outside, but those two humans, they’re mine, and don’t you forget it!”

And he’s right.  He doesn’t belong to us.  We belong to him!

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com.  Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)