Bobolo

Bobo turned 2 this May

My wife wanted a dog after we'd watched almost all the episodes of The Dog Whisperer. I was reluctant but agreed. Bobo was our child when we got him home at the age of 45 days. I spent much of my stay at home wiping his pee from the house floor but the lad was good with poop, he'd let us know at such a tender age and didn't poop inside the house.

Bobo's was our child; every morning, wife would walk him and then keep him on my chest when they returned. She was obnoxiously sentimental about him. But then came a time when she started to frequent her parent's home, so she took Bobo with her in the car as Bobo was too young to be kept alone in the house. Her folks despise dogs so Bobo was locked out in the cemented backyard through the day. I reckon that that's the time when the disconnect spawned between her and Bobo. Initially, she despaired that she had to leave him alone, outside but later she turned on him, thinking of him as the problem to begin with. Gradually she withdrew from him.

Bobo was our child till we had our own. After that he was an unwanted creature, shunned away and considered a pest with a potential to create noise and cause disease. We shifted 4 houses in 3 cities in just about 8 months. We were tired, suffering insomnia, belligerent towards each other and lost. Bobo receded into a shell. When I began to realize this, I took was up in arms. All it did was turn the house into us vs them! Bobo had grown big and strong. Too strong for me to handle as I was growing physically weaker and stressed. Bobo yearned for company and love and sought it from people coming to the house, jumping on them, going out of control and making me lose temper and hit him. Bobo become my punching bag. I just couldn't control him any other way. I sprained my back innumerable times trying to stop him, he's just too strong. Only when I get really aggressive does he stop.

Bobo's arsenal 

Bobo was our child. But I realize that he's also a dog and yearns for the company of his own. He's a handsome lad but his kind hate him. He whines when he sees stray dogs and yelps and whines and pulls to reach out to them; they snarl and growl in return. There've been times we've been attacked but I've stood my ground and drove them away. I almost got bitten once. Bobo isn't scared, he never runs away, nor does he tuck his tail. He just doesn't understand what's happening and why they bark and snarl at him. His response is to run towards them anyway. Little does he know that without my protection, he'll get killed. The worse was when we (wife, child, Bobo and I) went out a bit far from home for a walk late night. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by ~15-20 stray dog, all aggressively attempting to attack Bobo. Good I was carrying a baton. I asked wifey to take sonny and walk away from us. Then Bobo and I inched back home, we were escorted to the house all the way. Despite all the dangers outside the house, we celebrated when he recently lifted his leg to pee outside and marked his territory for the first time.

At times I lie down with him on the floor with him, like I did the day our child was born and I'd come home to rest for some time. But Bobo has nightmares! He cries in his sleep and I have to comfort him. However there are times I just have to push him out of the room when wifey snaps into a rage about his nightmare-whines waking our kid up. Bobo is still my child and I'm learning to change myself.  All because I love him way too much and the thought of something happening to him gives me nightmares as well. I still can't walk him, he's too energetic and every time I take him out, I pull my back. I'm trying to get back in shape to be able to take him out without injuring myself but with the present schedules, I'm still trying to figure out how. I've gained 8 kgs in less than 6 months and physically, I'm at my weakest ever.

Bobo is most gentle with our child and lets him play with him, even if he is harsh with him but he only gently licks back. But our baby is gradually learning to love him and wants to share everything with Bobo. But we still have to watch out for the times he's excited and sprints or jumps around, when he does that, he's injured me a couple of times, let alone the potential injury that can be caused to a toddler. But Bobo still is conscious around the baby most of the times. We love you Bobolo, just wait for sometime, I'm doing all I can to take care of all your needs as a dog but till then and forever, you'll be in my heart.