My Memories of Ben

Ben was a very good friend and companion to me for over 14 and a half years. I raised him from a pup, and I was very pleased with him that he learned everything so quickly. He was house trained within a week! I can also remember the pain we went through when Ben was going through his puppy biting stage. He would bite at us every opportunity he had. The only way we could keep from getting bit at was to get on the couch. The bigger he got the further back we had to move on the couch. Just as we were running out of space to keep away from him, he grew out of the biting stage…Whew, just in time!

Ben started off being a great watchdog. He was very alert and smart. He would not just bark at anything that walked by. If he barked, it meant that someone was definitely approaching the house. The only time he would bark out of control was when there was a cat sitting outside the fence. But it was a different kind of bark… More like a yelping bark.

Ben loved to go camping - Especially in the mountains. Justin (My son), Ben and I went on quite a few campouts together throughout his life. Justin was almost the same age as Ben, so they pretty much grew up together. Ben would always go hiking with us. He climbed over rocks and large tree trunks…everywhere we would or could go, so did he. Ben would go around and bum food off of neighboring campers. When we camped in secluded areas, I would never keep Ben on a leash. He was free to roam as he pleased. He would cover quite a large area of forest around our campsite, marking his territory. Sometimes he would be gone for hours, but he would always return. At night he would lay outside of the tent, or van. When we brought the trailer, we would sometimes let him sleep inside.

At home, I would let Ben out the front door, to roam where he pleased. Sometimes he would be gone for a couple hours or more. But he would always return. He would loop around the block hitting every tree. One neighbor around the corner used to complain that Ben would walk up to him on his driveway and just stand there growling and snarling at him. I didn't believe him though. Ben was not like that when he was off the leash and left to roam. If he were leashed on our front yard, yes he would take a chunk out, but not while on the loose. Sometimes Ben would head over to the liquor store...I wonder if he was trying to bum some beer? He loved beer...a lot! Whenever I had a bottle of beer in my hand, Ben would come up to me and start seriously begging me to give him some. I would then pour some on the cement or in a bowl, and he would finish every drop. Afterwards he would go over to the grass and start rolling around on his back like a happy dog! When I think back, I guess I may have been a bit careless and irresponsible with Ben at times. But he sure had fun!

For some reason, Ben had a biting problem. One time while we were camping at Lake Comanche in Lodi, A ranger came to our camp complaining that Ben had bit him on the hand. I guess he had approached Ben to check for a dog tag. He got more than just the tag. He got Ben's autograph right on the hand. Another time at the ocean, a boy decided to run through our camp as a shortcut to his campsite. Ben didn't appreciate that at all. He proceeded to let the boy have it…right in the groin! The ranger and an animal control officer had to come to our campsite to get information on Ben. The ranger sided with us, stating that while we are paying for that campsite for the weekend, it is our property, and if our leashed dog is within the boundary of the site, we cannot get into any trouble should someone get bit while trespassing. The following Monday, the county animal control came out to check Ben out and quarantined him for 2 weeks. I felt bad for the boy, who was not seriously injured, and at the same time I hope he learned a lesson about cutting across property.
Another time we were at Dillon’s beach when the same situation occurred. This time a girl was strolling though the camp. Ben was just letting her know that this is his master's domain and that she should not trespass.

Ben didn’t just bite strangers though. On occasion I would provoke Ben into biting me too. He has bitten Justin for trying to carry him back to the car. He has also bitten the other kids and a friend of mine for accidentally stepping on him. There were a couple of other bites here and there through the years.

But Ben would never just bite for no reason. And he was not vicious about it. He just mostly nipped at his victims, breaking the skin most of the time. For the most part he was great with the kids. Even if they would hang on him and pull his hair.

Most of the time Ben was the most gentle and loving dog in the world. He would always walk up to me and put his head down between my lower legs, waiting for a rub on the back. If I were kneeled down, Ben would tuck his head under my legs and expect to be rubbed on his sides.

Ben had an extra special liking for my mom. Whenever she would come over, he would become unusually excited and jump up at her. He would not settle down until she gave him a little pet and rub.

Ben was very good when it came to brushing him. He would lay for an hour straight, until I was finished with him.

Ben was a sure different from other dogs when it came to eating. If I stuck a piece of ham or steak in his face, he would sniff it a little bit, slowly take it from my hand, and then he would walk a few feet, lay the meat down, and look back at me until I left him alone. Then he would begin slowly eating his treat. He never just swallowed it whole like most dogs. If he was chewing a ham or steak bone, and I went up to him and acted like I was going to take it from him, he would growl at me. The growl was not a vicious growl though. It had a whine in it as if he were pleading with me to leave him be with his treat.

Ben and I did not always get along. There were times when he would get on my nerves, and I’m sure there were times when I ticked him off too. But we would always come back around with one another. I could never stay mad at him for too long. I loved Benny, and I know he loved me too. We were just two of a kind when it came to being stubborn. And boy was he stubborn! Ben had quite the mind of his own. If he got out to the front yard and started running off without permission, and I tried calling him back, he would just carry on with his little stroll as if he did not hear a word I said. He definitely had a selective hearing problem. Those were times I would blow up at him and let him have it. But after a little while we would both forget about the incident and our anger, and move on with life.

Ben was laid to rest on March 23^rd 1999. He will continue to live on with me in spirit, and one day we will both be together again, because I believe in that old saying; all good dogs go to Heaven.

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