To Vito
Vito. My sweet and doughty boy. I understand your plight better than you may think. In an ideal world, this is not the life I would have chosen for you, nor for myself. Alas, this was the only world to offer us an invitation, and now our paths have aligned and become one.
Believe me when I say that I would much prefer you to lead your own life. I want you to run freely, exploring high hills and putting your swimming skills to the test daringly across rivers and lakes. To know that you were out there, safe from harm and free from arrogantly imposed decisions on how you should live your life; this would be a profound source of happiness for me.
Regretfully, this is not a possibility. The harsh truth is that any opportunity for an unmolested relationship with nature has been stolen from you. To leave you out in the cold is to live the rest of my days tormented by the knowledge that I sent you to your doom. Whether you would be captured, killed, or simply starve to death, I do not know. But I know that I will not have your demise on my conscience.
So no, my boy. Your life is not a fair one, but it's the one you have been given, and it is within neither of our power to change that. I know you think I'm too harsh on you. More of your time is spent in timeout than out of it lately. There is a fire of rebellion burning brightly within you, and I offer you my apologies, because you likely adopted this trait from me. I see the way you look at me when I send you to the corner for breaking a rule. Go there when you're told you may, but not without communicating to me that you don't think you should have to.
You're right. You should not have to. However, you do have to. Still two and a half months away from your first birthday, yet already you are larger than most other dogs we encounter on our daily walks. You are beginning to realise that, before long, you will be King of the Kelvin. When you escape the clutches of adolescence, you will step into the role of a natural alpha, and every other dog on that river shall know it.
I too am coming to a realisation of my own, however. With this new found clarity, it has become glaringly obvious that whether your role of alpha will be exercised through benevolence or malevolence, will be determined by these following months. This has become a matter of life and death, for us both. If a day shall come when my negligent tolerance results in you demonstrating your dominance through means of violence, against another dog, or God forbid a human, they will try and take you away from me. I know you know that I would not allow this, I care not who demands it, or the authority with which they claim to have the power to do so. My boy. I swear to you I will die before I allow anyone to take you from me, and this is why you must live the life of a slave until you need no commands at all to know how you should behave.
If I tell you to come; you must come. If I tell you to sit; you must sit. If I tell you stop barking; you must stop barking. It may seem like it to you, but I assure you that I do not tell you these things just to make myself feel powerful. Much to the contrary, my ego dislikes having to tell you to do things. But following rules for you must be instinctive. There can be no room for questions, and certainly none for disobedience. If the time arises that you no longer feel I am worthy of obeying, then you will begin to make your own rules, and this shall get us both into a lot of trouble.
This Vito, is why you must do as you're told, when you're told, whether you believe you should have to or not. It is shit, I know. But, would you believe me if I told you that this life of yours is worthy of envy? There is liberty at the end of a leash. More liberty than I have for sure. When we arrive at the river every day, and I take your lead from around your neck and tell you to go, this is the time I envy you, Vito. Your face is instantly painted with joy, your steps adorned with a spring of enthusiasm, and your tail afflicted with a seizure of excited wagging.
In this moment, you taste a freedom that has forever evaded me. You see, my boy, you're not the only one who lives on the end of a leash. The difference lies in the honesty of your leash. You can see it, smell it, and feel it over your neck. I make no attempt to hide its purpose. It is there so that you do not run in the road, or towards children or other people. My leash does not go around my neck, though it is far tighter and certainly intended to suffocate. My master's leash is not honest, like yours. It likes to play pretense, masquerading as the key to the very freedom that it prevents me from obtaining. Be grateful, my boy, that you do not have to suffer through my restraints, or those of my fellowman. For it is money that we serve, and you are freer than we to live without need of it.
Never will you have to worry about whether you will have a roof above your head on a cold night. No day will ever pass where you will have to question whether you will get to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner. You needn't bother yourself with the wasteful task of acquiring more bits of paper in order to survive on the land you were born on. You need only eat, play, shit, eat, play, shit, eat, play, shit and repeat. Perhaps, my boy, you are freer than you will ever understand. You have me to depend on, and you always will. I have been forced to depend on a system that does not seek to see me thrive the way I do with you. But instead tries its hardest to ensure that I do not reach my full potential, for it is the fulfillment of potential that is most threatening to the existence of that very system of oppression.
I tried to escape it once, Vito. I really did. But, ironically, it is you that has forced me back into it willingly. I want the best for you. I want you to have the organic food, the high quality treats, the toys, the fancy bed, and anything else that will make your time on this Earth more comfortable and enjoyable. For this to happen, I must bow before my master and ask him politely to put me back on the leash, all so that I might be able to keep you on yours.
No, Vito. This is not the life I would have chosen for either of us. But, I am glad that we have found ourselves sharing these lives of slavery together.
That was one of the most beautiful love letters I have ever read. Because I'm a bit sensitive this weekend anyway, it's not surprising that I find tears in my eyes right now. The depth of your feelings is so profound it's as though you wrote this straight into my heart.
And this letter could have been written by me to my Great Pyrenees as well. She came to us starving and dehydrated a few weeks into our year in the wilderness of the Ozarks. We nursed her back to health, and in return she protected us from the creatures that prowled the night, tirelessly keeping vigil of our camp, sleeping only a few hours a day, and even then it seemed she always had one eye open.
She had every freedom a dog could hope for that year, alas we could not remain there indefinitely. Though we bought a house with a fenced in yard so she may at least have a small amount of freedom in the outdoors, it is still very much a cage in comparison. But we could not have left her behind, the condition in which she came to us made clear that without us she could not survive.
And we can't even let her off the leash in the large open parks of our area, because she deems every canine a potential threat, and will attack on sight. That lesson came with a hefty monetary penalty and a battle in our least favorite arena (a courtroom). Ironically the dog she attacked tore a chunk of flesh from the arm of my daughter a few weeks later and killed my stepson's puppy a month after that-perhaps she knew he was truly a threat, but there's no way of being sure and the aggressive way in which she behaves when an unfamiliar dog is nearby keeps us from ever testing the theory.
I commiserate with your pain SOS and Vito.
Sounds a bit gay and awfully awkward when you refer to it as a love letter. Lol. But, looking at the vocabulary I used, I can't say you're wrong! I guess I didn't even realise it was a love letter when I was writing it, nor when I was speaking the words to him.
Sounds like you have a much more difficult task on your hands than I. Vito, for the most part, is completely fine with other dogs- unless they try and take his stick. He doesn't seem to care much about them though. He just stays with me and never leaves my sight when he is off the lead. Apparently it is a trait of the breed. They love their family but once they start getting older they just don't give much of a fuck about anyone else.
He has been a bit grumpy as of late though, and I have thought it is because he is just now realising how fucking huge he is going to be, so he is testing the very few larger dogs that we encounter. Other than these little moments of growling and shit, he is completely docile. So, I hope it stays that way.
Also, I hope you sued those cunts back!
It's not gay, it's sweet! True manly men can own their feelings, especially toward their dogs ;) Yes, she's definitely a more difficult task. Then we have Lucy the Pitbull who loves everybody; people, dogs, cats, she has no idea of the power in her muscular frame, she'll submit to dogs half her size, lol.
No, we didn't sue. They paid zoe's hospital bill, but that was that. It was just after we'd returned to society from the ozarks...too much to explain here, but suffice to say we had been off the grid until the incident, and dealing with courts once was enough.
Great story. Its amazing how freedom can turn into such destructive ways...
Thank you. I had this conversation with him earlier(obviously a one way conversation lol), and I thought some things came up that were worth sharing. I always pitied him for his role as a subservient, but when thinking about, we are no different.
And yes, it seems that in this world, there is nothing that cannot be twisted into a weapon.
Home wouldn't be the same without my furbabies, Vito is so cute :)
Well, it's thoroughly depressing when you spell it out like that! Awesomely written, and I'm left feeling mildly confused about whether there should be "railing against the system" or "making the best with what we have" or if it's possible to do both XD
I have chosen to subtly influence others to rail against the system whilst hypocritically adhering to it myself in order to give Vito everything he needs. For now.. at least. But, yes, I think it is possible to do both. I think the only way to fight the system is from within it.
Thanks for the comment!
I don't think fighting from within is the only way but it's definitely a good way, but I would think that as that's how I like doing it :)
I think I get where you're coming from too.
No worries :D
Awesome story! I can't even tell you how much time I spend with my dog and what a close friend is she for me. Vito is wonderful!:)
That's how I would love for it to be. He and I being simply companions. I do not want to be his boss or overlord. But, he is big even for his breed it seems, and with more than a year left of growing, I can't have him being simply my friend until he understands how he should and should not behave. I hate having to discipline him though, so I am looking forward to when he is an adult and I no longer have to give him orders, for he will just know how to enjoy himself without crossing any lines.
Well yes, he's a serious breed, so he should understand. My dog is really tiny (5 kilo), and even I had to train her a bit to behave. My mother @animal-shelter has 13 dogs. They're all family, but they have rules. Otherwise it would be impossible to live in the house:)
13 fucking dogs?! That's insane. I have enough trouble with Vito lol. I have a lot of respect for her already. Must be very expensive to feed them all too..
Yep, it is. But... She has a really big heart. 11 of these 13 are no breed, just kids, offended by other people.
Idiots ought to stop breeding dogs for a few quid if they can't be certain they will be able to find a good home for each of the pups. I'm glad these ones managed to.
There was no place to reply, so I'll write here. Yes. totally idiots. Breeding dogs for money wiyj no idea, how to do it right. Or playing a "humanic person" and neither sterilizing their pets, nor keeping an eye on then in "dangerous" periods, then throwing away the puppies. People with no brain and heart.
I agree, mostly. But, I am not an advocate for neutering. Vito will certainly be keeping his balls. Testosterone plays a vital role in the defining of one's natural character, be it human or otherwise. If I were to take that from him, it would not be Vito anymore. I do agree that you should keep a close eye on them if they're fertile though. I wouldn't be too worried if Vito got another dog pregnant anyway, as I have a very large family and I'd ensure every pup found a good home, and he would still get to see them.
That's another way to go. I talk about people who don't want to take the responsibility.
My dog is female, and I'm female too, so we have different relationships with her:) She was neutered at four months. We planned to do it later, but... She had to have an operation on her stomach anyway. She found somewhere a piece of plastic and ate it, so I chose her life, and quickly.
But there's a good thing about it. Hormonal balance did not have time to start working in "adult mode", so now she's three years old and... She still behaves like a puppy:)
I think for bitches it is somewhat easier for me to accept, because should they mate and fall pregnant, it is the female who will bear the most emotional suffering when inevitably having to part with some or all of her puppies. I still find it sad that there is a necessity to subject animals to such debilitating procedures though..
In fakt it's nothing debilitating about it. And about female dogs... If you don't sterilize her before she gets old - get ready to face cancer. And her suffering. This is the legacy of wolves, when a female wolf can no longer breed nature does some actions to "extract" her.
And even before - facing the falce pregnancy. This is much more dangerous for health than sterilization. I wouldn't tell this if I wasn't having dogs for all my life, and faced all the sides of this question. So in this topic I'm "for", not against.
Well, you did say that she has retained the demeanor of a puppy into adulthood, so some would consider that debilitating. She has been denied maturity to a degree, though she will never be aware of it, and so whether any harm has been done is entirely subjective. As for females getting cancer when they can no longer breed, that sounds like something I would have to investigate further. I have never heard of such a thing, but if it is a genuine truth and not some sort of misinformation propagated by organisations who stand to profit from such operations, then, I would certainly have to reevaluate my decision, because that's no way to die. It would be a kindness to save a dog from such an exit.
That's true, but it she was also refused to have instant stress, twice a year. Wolfes begin their breeding period only when conditions allow it. Enough food, ect. But dogs are OK with that all the time, so it's aviable twice a year. And it's a hormonal stress anyway. According to cancer - only my family had two such experiences. And belive me, it was really hard. When dog is already too old and you're not sure if she'll survive the operation.
And false pregnancy. I almost cryed looking on our dog having it. She was so.... Defenseless and sad, I can't explain. She had to take injections, cause she already had milk, but no puppys. And she thought that the toys were her puppys, collected them, thyed to feed and wash, and protect.
That sounds awful. Our doberman died of bloat in the middle of the night when I was a child, and it was very fucking sad. I'm grateful now that she died quickly rather than over an uncomfortable, extended period of time .
Yep, it's better when it's fast. When they don't suffer. Our shepherd, the first dog in our family was dying from cancer. We tryed to save her to the end, but she was already 15 years old. We still miss her, after another 15 years:(
Apparently big breeds don't live nearly as long. I have read that I'll be fortunate to get over 10 years with him, so I'm not looking forward to that..
So true. But everyone wants his friend to stay longer, it's so damn hard to loose them:(
Nice...long letter!:)
That was beautifully said! I can talk from experience about Pitties...I've rescued several from the rent house behind where I lived. People kept moving out and leaving them chained to a tree without food or water. Dogs respond to the people they're around. If they see love and kindness, they will act the same way. Pit bulls are no exception, no dog breed has a genetic predisposition for violence. This is Sasha, I had to push food and water dishes to her with a rake for three days. After that she let me pet her and feed her treats. Now she is a wonderful home where she is a part of the family. The kids are devoted to her and she is to them. She has never behaved violently. Dogs, like people can overcome bad experiences.
It's interesting. Because my dog, much like my brothers, definitely fits the description of the breed in terms of behavioral patterns. For instance, my brother's ridgeback is insanely energetic, and wants to play with every single person and dog she sees- just as it said. And my Corso, doesn't give a shit about anyone but me or members of my family that he has known for a while. Almost everyone tries to say hello to him and pet him, but he just walks past them, and he pays no attention the dogs that try and play with him most of the time. This is exactly what it says Corsos are like, so clearly behavioural traits are in fact genetic. It is interesting to me because if this is the case for dogs, it is common sense to expect it to be so in humans also, but if you try and say someone acts a certain way because of their ethnicity, then you will be branded a racist.. and so such experiments have not been conducted to my knowledge.
PS. She's gorgeous. Not quite as lovely as Vito, but definitely a belter. Lol.