Simon is an asshole.
When we walk him he tries to attack strangers. You might think he’s all bark and no bite but he’ll definitely bite. You have to keep him away from everyone. He will only treat people well after he’s met them a few times and they’ve greeted him in the right ways (usually with treats). He also growls whenever hears the voice of a child. He hates kids. Even with the people he knows and presumably likes, he’ll lose it sometimes and end up biting. You have to watch out for subtle cues. He’s bitten me a couple times, I don’t think he’s drawn blood but that’s just because luckily I was wearing clothing where he was biting. We can’t take him to the vet without muzzling him.
Every time I walk towards Sarah he follows me around and he’ll growl at me especially if I kiss her for too long. It’s like living with a junior high chaperone.
He’s a rescue dog so that likely explains a lot of his behavior but we’ve had him for quite a while and his behavior hasn’t moderated nearly as much as we thought it would. He’s also pretty disgusting (I’ll spare you the details). His main redeeming quality compared to other dogs is that he’s cute and small.
Even with all these negative traits, interacting with him is usually a pleasure. Why is that?
Well, it’s because he’s not a human. I've always been overly conscientious and empathetic so interacting with people has an emotional cost. He’s not carrying around a bunch of human concerns so when I interact with him I’m forced into another state of mind. He can’t tell me his problems or relate to mine. He’s just focused on dog things like treats and smells and sometimes a belly rub. He’s got serious issues so that has taken a lot of time to work through but it’s all been an escape of sorts.
Interacting with him is a shortcut to getting out of myself. I know there are people out there who aren’t into animals and likely can’t experience this escape. I don’t trust them.
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