Dog personalities

My friends know that I'm a dog lover. You can probably tell as well from my posts here and here. With all the dogs I've encountered, I noticed that they also have different personalities. Some are happy and energetic, while some are melancholic and apathetic

But are these personalities really natural (from birth)? Or is it possible that these are learned personalities? Both my dogs are very playful and energetic. They get so excited that their whole body shakes, not just their tail. They jump up and down, run excitedly around the house, lick my hand, then repeat the whole excited/exercise thing again. They have an unending supply of energy and I think they can play 24 hours straight if given a choice and playmate. Playing with them has even become my regular exercise. Then there's my mom's very quiet dog. She sits in the sofa corner and keeps to herself the whole day, just sleeping and staring at our other dogs playing. She comes to you, not to play, but to cuddle and ask for massages.

Seeing all three of them in our living room got me thinking... Is it a mere coincidence that both my dogs have the same personality? Or is there a correlation between their personality and mine? Whenever I come home, I always greet them in my excited voice (if you're a shopping addict, it's the same OMG voice you use when you find out that your favorite bag is on sale). My mom, on the other hand, just calls out her dog's name the same way she calls us for dinner. My mom's not the playful type either, unlike me who plays hide and seek and runs after my pets like crazy.

What do you think? Any thoughts on dog behavior and personalities?

Here I am with one of my dogs, Hershey.

Hachiko, the loyal Akita

Have you heard about Hachiko?

Photo from Wikipedia

He's an Akita dog born in Japan. His loyalty to his human, Hideasaburo Ueno, even long after his death, made him famous in Japan and all over the world. This was even made into a Hollywood movie featuring Richard Gere as Ueno.

Photo from IMDB

When Ueno was still alive, Hachiko would always wait for him at the Shibuya Station and they'd walk home together. He did this every single day until Ueno died of cerebral hemorrhage and did not return to the station. For nine years after Ueno's death, Hachiko would go to the station at the exact time Ueno's train usually arrived. His faithfulness and loyalty impressed the Japanese so much that several Hachiko statues were erected in his memory. In Shibuya Station alone, there are two ways Hachiko is remembered. One is with the statue near one of Shibuya Station's five exits called Hachiko-guchi (The Hachiko Entrance/Exit). There are also bronze paw-prints on the exact spot where Hachiko always waited.

Photo from Annemarie O'Brien

This led me to think... Dogs and humans... How are we similar? How are we different? There's no denying the fact that yes, we are more intelligent, we can do more physically, we know more spiritually, and so on and so forth... But how are we emotionally?

Photo from funzday and dogvacay

I think we've all heard, at one point or another, an excuse (whether for us or for another person) that goes something like this "Well, you know... it's not his fault... you can't really blame him for doing that... I mean, he experienced (insert bad experience here)."

I'm a firm believer of Randy Pausch's quote, "It's not about the cards you're dealt, but how you play the hand." While it's true that we are who we are because of our past and the people we're with, it's also true that IT'S ALL UP TO US. I've heard stories where people who've had bad experiences (physical abuse, etc) become abusers themselves. I've also heard stories where people, who've had the same experiences, become inspirations. What made them different? Their CHOICES. How about dogs? Do they have a choice? A say in things? I don't have any scientific fact to back this up, but I think they do in abusive cases. Same with people, I also hear stories about dogs becoming violent because they're in violent/abusive environments all their lives. But there are also those who become meek, seeking affection from other people.

But how about if we place people and dogs in a different environment? I've heard stories about kids whose parents, while good people, don't have time for them because of work, etc. Some of these kids turn out brats, druggies, criminals, etc. While some turn out...normal. It is in these situations that dogs have the upper hand, I believe. I have 2 dogs, Hershey and Frappy. I also have friends who are pet-parents. Usually, the stories are the same. We're very busy, we have 9-5 jobs, we go out with friends, we go out with families, etc. And in the small amount of time we're home, we're so tired we rest, watch TV, surf the net and do other mundane things. What about our babies? What do they do? Do they act out? Ignore you? Become bratty? NO EFFIN WAY. Instead, they're all happy and excited, full of love, and shaking with joy, whenever they see you. They eat up the small amount of time we give them, if we do at all. And when we're too busy to play? It's ok. When you wake up the next morning, it's like nothing even happened. Our babies are still their same, lovable, hyper and loyal selves. Wow, right? That's what you call unconditional love.

I'm not saying dogs are better than humans, oh most deinfitely not. I guess this whole post is really to share that dogs are blessings. We should take care of them. We should be responsible pet owners because they are not things we own. They are family members and, like our human families, crave time and affection from us. They have feelings and deserve our love and attention. If you can't give it to them? Well, you DON'T DESERVE TO BE A PET PARENT. Your babies might seem ok and unruffled, but really, IT'S NOT OK.

I will end this post with three wonderful photos which hopefully inspires you guys, not just to be good per parents, but to be good people. :D

Photo from squidoo

Photo from bestimagequotes

Photo from jotoexplorer

Bambi - our new puppy!

It's no secret that our family loooves pets. We've gone through dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, birds, fishes, turtles, chickens... heck, we even got those icky white rats! We loved all of them, but our favorite will always be our dogs. Currently, we have 2 poodles, 2 dachshunds, and a cat. We used to have 3 dachshunds actually, but she died recently... :( She's the black dachshund in this photo.

And now we have another dachshund named Bambi. She's 1 week old today! Yey! She's taking over my phone's album pretty fast, harhar. Here she is with her mommy.

Posting a photo of my black female poodle. (Cute, isn't she?!)

She just had her hair cut at The Dog Spa. (Thank you for the freebies! :) ) The Dog Spa recently opened at the Congressional Town Center, 2nd floor. You guys should check them out. Their expert groom package is only P450 for small pets, P600 for medium, and P800 for large. Really affordable considering their expertise.

Since this post is about pets, I'm posting here some of our beloved dogs who already passed away...