My dog Snickers was a rescue dog from the pound. She was the only dog not barking. I guess I picked her because I am quiet too but in reality I think that she picked me. Dogs are like that, they have a natural affinity to people they like. I named her Snickers because her fur looks like the inside of a snickers bar and she is just as sweet. But the name chewy caramel just doesn’t work. She is a big dog, and is a mix of pit, lab and Rhodesian ridgeback. She hunts lizards all the time and is my faithful companion unless someone else has food, and then she is a traitor.

Being Asperger’s, it is hard for me to develop relationships with people. I don’t read body language so I can’t tell if you like me or not. I don’t do portraiture because it is very difficult to look at faces. For people with Asperger’s syndrome the face has way too many moving parts and it is information overload and makes eye contact extremely difficult. I have hidden my condition from friends and others and only now have chosen to talk about it. Being Asperger’s is a blessing and a curse. I am speaking out to give hope to those who have this and to parents and families of those who love them. That is why my dog is so important to me. She loves me unconditionally. She doesn’t judge me, and I don’t have to worry if I broke some none verbal que with her. She is my companion.

I believe in getting your dog from the pound and I would never buy a dog. There are way too many animals without homes. I make no judgements about those who have purebreds. But I feel that mixed dogs are a bit smarter than purebreds. Kind of like how inbreeding makes dumb people too. Snickers is the ultimate escape artist, opening doors  that pull in or push out by standing on her hind legs and pushing  or pulling the lever. She knows all the routes around the house and can get anywhere she wants to be. She learned how to open a crate, so there is no crating at our house and when she has to be groomed she is hard to contain for the groomers. Her vocabulary is that of a three year old and like a three year old she knows her favorite words….out, go , squirrel, lizard, toy, play and of course eat or food. She would be alarmed to hear that she is a dog, so please don’t tell her. She sleeps in a bed (mine) and uses a pillow (also mine). She watches the dogs on TV and gets exited, and enjoys walks, the ice from a nice glass of bourbon in the evening on the porch. She is part of the family. She loves a good car ride as long as it is not to the vet.

She never gets aggressive. She does not have to … she is huge. Big dogs get respect. She hates it when I travel and when I get home I get love bites. Just enough teeth to make it clear that my absence was not appreciated. But she is protective. She only barks for snakes and rats. It is her warning system. When other dogs bark she never joins in.

So the next time you are looking for the perfect partner in crime consider a pound dog. They will give far more than they will ever take, and repay you for your kindness one hundred fold. But they will eat your paint brushes, take your favorite pillow and, steal the covers. But no one is perfect.

 

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