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| A boy, his technology and his dogs |
The older of our two boys has an interesting and strong connection with our dogs. There's a photo I took of Diego recently in which he's seated on the floor in our living room, (or "sala," as we call it here in Casa Reyes-Fuchs) his headphones on, facing the two dogs who are drowsing in the two chairs before him. Diego is paying attention to them, but not. He is both attentive and dismissive all at once, and that seems to be just fine as far as Ginger and Ally are concerned.
Of course, the two dogs worship and fawn over me, as they've imprinted on me the role of B.A.D. (Big Alpha Dog), but their love of Diego is far more genuine. Yes, they love Jackson and Jeanette too, but Jackson's is a "fly-by" kind of love, as he is in a near constant state of motion, so that the dogs wag their tails when he comes by, as if to say, "Okay, we're not going to get too used to this." With Mom, it's a treat they adore, similar to Diego, but less like a sibling. They seem to know she's of the B.A.D. class, as well.
It's with Diego, the teenager, the one who I see breaking out of his shell in how he tries to interact more confidently with adults, like the waitress at our local Mexican restaurant who greets him by his name, that our dogs have the true connection. Maybe he's a Cesar Millan-style dog whisperer in the making, I don't know. Or maybe he's just found someone who will love him in the unconditional, non-judgmental way in which he needs to be loved.
And maybe the dogs have found the same thing.
