First Snow

Among the many breeds of dog that are Hamilton's ancestors is a breed with webbed paws. Early on my wife and I noticed the webbing between his three toes and anticipated a water dog happy to frolic in lakes and streams. Not.

And it's not just bodies of water he abhors. He hates rain fall of any type. Drizzles to down pours cause the same reaction -- " I'm not budging an inch. I want to go home."

On the other hand, snow he loves. We was eight months old when he experienced his first snow fall. Nearly a foot of snow fell on the city. It came down so fast that the city had to prioritize clean up and the Financial District of Manhattan, where we live, fell to the bottom. It was a weekend and traffic was expected to be light.

On those rare winter days when there is heavy snow in the city it is a spiritual sensation to be outside. The stillness of the Financial District is eerie in this constantly rebuilding quarter of narrow, colonial- designed streets. The storm left a shining cover of snow, clean and white.

Hamilton pounced on the snow in delight again and again. Joyfully he threw himself into the snow drifts covering the silent streets. From above you would have seen two dark figures spotting the snow cover; one figure standing still, the other disappearing and then breaking through the snow, leaving a trail of indentations.

You would have seen Hamilton stop and patiently wait for me. I would use his trail to navigate the deep snow towards him, then bend down and hold him tight. Soon the snow would melt, the traffic would be back and there would be rain.

Leader of the Pack

I believe that to survive abandonment a dog has to have an Alpha personality. It seems illogical to me that a Beta dog would easily survive predators, lack of food and the elements.

My wife is certain that Hamilton has a Beta personality. This misconception comes from two sources. The first was our misconceived personality test when we adopted him. We had attempted to place him on is back to see if he would tolerate having his belly exposed. We figured a more passive dog would allow this.

When we put him on his back Hamilton rolled from one side to another. Having fallen in love with him from first sight we took this as a passing grade. In hindsight he probably presumed this was a game we were playing with him. After all, the rest of the dogs in the shelter had spent days trampling over him, the smallest dog in the pack. He seemed to revel in this hazing exercise as a form of acceptance. I guess he knew from first hand experience or instinct the difference between how the pack would accept or reject him. The first entailed trampling but the latter would entail much biting. If we wanted to join in the trampling he was happy to oblige.

The second source of her misconception was Hamilton's sweet personality. He is a happy dog. We are doing the best we can to give him a secure and nurturing home. He was also fortunate that he was never separated from his mother as an infant. The people at the NJ Collie Rescue and Referral organization who rescued him were also very care giving and he and the other dogs lived in the shelter in a comfortable environment free to roam without cages and the fear they reinforce in a confused, lost animal.

I think Hamilton is a benign or gentle Alpha -- Richard the Lion Heart rather than Prince John. Or to take the analogy further think Robin Hood himself. I draw this comparison based on Hamilton's interactions with some of the other dogs in our building. His first meetings with these dogs were similar to the meetings of Robin Hood with his Merry Men in the 1930's movie.

In one scene Robin crosses a river on a log bridge which only allows one person to pass at a time. Unfortunately, Little John, hardly a little man, is also attempting to cross from the other side. Robin, being cocky and impetuous, challenges Little John to retrace his steps so he can pass. Little John at first shows some patience, but when Robin refuses to recognize that he had begun to cross the log first a fight ensues. Battling with their staffs Robin initially gains the advantage. His arrogance catches up with him and Little John slaps him into the river. Being adaptable and seemingly a good sport Robin offers Little John his hand in reconciliation. Foolishly, Little John trusts him and Robin pulls him into the river. Thus a great friendship is forged.

Hamilton met his Little John in the lobby of our building in a large Bernese Mountain Dog puppy that was a few months older than he was. The two pups took each others measure as we walked to the gate where only one of the dogs with his owner could pass. The Belgian was a good foot taller at the shoulder and at least forty pounds heavier. Hamilton smelled his rear and took his position with his front paws down and rear end up and barked the challenge. The Bernese responded with a deep bark of his own and pounced on Hamilton. Hamilton collapsed, I hoped strategically, and both dogs rolled on the floor until Hamilton squirmed loose and crawled to the wall. Hamilton then ran towards the Bernese, pulled up short and stood on his rear legs, barking some sort of dog taunt. The Bernese ran over Hamilton and left him on his back as he pulled up and looked behind him at his victim. Hamilton couldn't have been more thrilled. He got to his feet and bounced around the Bernese barking his dares. The doorman looked none to pleased as the Bernese's owner and I left the dogs to their game.

Finally the Bernese ran towards the gate that lead to the stairs that take you to the outside doors. Hamilton yelped and the Bernese looked over his right shoulder. Hamilton broke to his left and made it through the gate as the Bernese spun around. From that day on Hamilton and the Bernese were fast friends. They loved the rough housing, although it always seemed that Hamilton took the brunt of the battles.

In the movie, after the confrontation with Little John, Robin Hood and his growing band of Merry Men stop a friar on the road through Sherwood Forest with the intent to rob him. But, although portly, the friar, known as Tuck, stands his own with his surprisingly expert swordsmanship and wins the respect of Robin and his men.

For Hamilton, Friar Tuck appeared in the presence of a bulldog adopted by one of our neighbors from a breeder who'd used him as a show dog. The bulldog, stout and low to the ground, walked with a confident stride on bowed legs. He was four years old and Hamilton, as a puppy, recognized a higher caste animal. Hamilton cautiously approached the bulldog and attempted to engage in some play. The bulldog immediately addressed that presumption with a snort and shrug of his broad shoulders. Hamilton took his servile position exposing his belly and the bulldog ambled over to me for a pet. Hamilton went to the bulldog's owner and received a treat. Discretion, again, rewarded the shrewd. When Hamilton sees the bulldog today he always treats him with deference, but its the type you would give an elder statesman.

Hamilton goes to doggy day care most days at Paws in Chelsea or Soho for socialization and exercise. There he's known as the dog the others rally around. He is also the dog that the staff uses to break in new dogs to the day care center. When one of his special buddies was challenged by another dog Hamilton jumped in and led the posse driving the offending dog away.

Hoping Hamilton was a Beta was important because we also had cats who where elderly at the time he was adopted. I feel we gained the best of both worlds with his Robin Hood personality. If he occasionally robs from the rich by stealing some food from the counter its a small price to pay.