Dog Ambassador

Almost everyone tells me when they meet Meshach or when they see his photos something like one friend said today “He’s beautiful and looks like he has a wonderful little soul there. I like him and his look. Bet he’s a lover.” And they have nailed it in a nutshell!

Here is what I responded to her: He’s a beautiful little ‘big’ soul. He believes himself to be the dog ambassador of our neighborhood which is semi-rural. Every dog who meets Meshach is a different dog after meeting him. I’d sure love to know what he says to them when he meets them.

Most are in their yards, solo dogs around here and many are not house pets. Well at least they get fresh air! Anyway there is a new dog that has been here for a couple of months that lives at the end of our block. During our morning workout yesterday Meshach decided to break away from us and go say hello to this dog that was acting very aggressive from his backyard. He and Meshach greeted through the fence. Then they proceeded to run back and forth up and down the fenceline until my hubby and I could get Meshach back – he is SUCH a teenager right now lol! Today as we went by this dog’s house (Meshach was on leash) this dog was barking and such but no more aggression in his demeanor – he wanted Meshach to come back and talk to him..he was wagging his tail and barking a different sounding bark – a friendly bark. WOW! Meshach blows my mind! I’ve seen Meshach do this a lot on different outings into the fields with friends, passing by a solo dog in their yard – when we come near a house that has a dog that is. Meshach always befriends them and I see the demeanor of the dog change from “guarding territory” to one of “can I come along too?” It’s fascinating to watch.

Yesterday Meshach had many of the neighborhood dogs in a tizzy as he went off to greet each dog along their fence line (dogs that live behind the field where a couple of neighbors and I take our dogs to go run in). Meshach didn’t want to leave all his new buddies – but my neighbors and I took our dogs into a field that didn’t have as many fencelines with dogs in them so the neighborhood could calm down once again. Today the two dogs that live across the field and behind us were definitely saying “Come say hello Meshach, please come say hello“. This time Meshach asked permission so I gave him the “nod” and he made this happy dash to say hello with me right behind him. They greeted and did the usual run up and down the fenceline but mostly they stood talking to each other – I sure wished I knew what they were saying. When I got there, Meshach knew we’d be moving along out of their sight line so they started barking at him, tails wagging, all happy and did NOT want us to leave…well they didn’t want Meshach to leave lol. I always go say hello and pet them and they are friendly, sweet dogs but they really do want Meshach to stick around and chat. He can make any dog his buddy. He’s such an amazing boy and I’m not a bit biased hahahaha!

Meshach really knows how to defer to his elders, and be respectful. He also knows when a dog has had enough of his zoomies or energetic play. He never responds back with any grumpiness. He’s just the happy dog ambassador, ready to bring all parties together as friends. I can tell his dog mom raised him right!

I said to another friend yesterday – she was at Starbucks (you know who you are lol) and said she laughed out loud when she read what I said – much to the surprise of those sitting nearby LOL! I said that he is very much a teenager now with me and my husband (please dog trainers refrain from letting me know all the things I’m doing wrong – this is not about that. I already know I have great shortcomings in this area). Meshach has been a very good puppy…always so good on the recall – but he is also going through something now that I will share sometime in the future. He is also going through some typical changes just like we do at this teen age.

Okay I digress but I said, if one of us wasn’t always here with Meshach we think Meshach would throw a big, huge dog party, thrash the house, then feign innocence while rolling his eyes at us and saying, “Oh Mom and Dad talk to the paw.”

LOL not really but you get the idea. He is the sweetest, most loving dog even with the teen attitude. He has always been so sensitive to others. He loves people almost as much as he loves other dogs. He greets all his dog friends’ owners with his boinging exuberance, sliming and kissing everyone. He thinks of our human friends as his friends too – and they feel the same way. When neighbors are leaving for work they often stop their cars when they see us on our first outing of the morning (for our exercise – the second outing is for Meshach’s dog playtime) to say hello to Meshach! He greets each person as if they are his best friend. He has learned to do it without jumping on their cars now, especially since he is tall enough and can kiss them standing up to their open windows – even during the winter they would stop and do this.

He is known and loved throughout our neighborhood and that gives me such joy to know that he is our little “big” dog ambassador.

Photo Attribution: Meshach the Great Dane by Dr. Kim Bloomer, Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved.

Have a pawsitively tail waggin’ NATUROPATHICALLY healthy day!

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Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath as well as being certified in small animal nutrition, with years of experience in animal wellness. Dr. Kim is a published author, writer, and blogger. Subscribe to her DOGgone Newsletter for updates or to her blog via email. Copyright ©2005-2024 Aspenbloom Pet Care, Dr. Kim Bloomer, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. This article is intended to be educational. However, it is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified animal health professional. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Aspenbloom Pet Care, do not assume any legal responsibility for misuse of the products discussed in this article. The only essential oils referenced on this website are Young Living.