Benson: A New Canine Friend

We've had a couple of dogs. When our daughter Erin Marie was home we had a dog name of Casey Canine or KC K-9. He was, oh probably a lab/collie mix. He lived to a ripe old age.

Later, Barbara decided we should get a smaller dog. That's fine, but I don't like those yippy dogs. So any rate, we got maybe a three year old Llasa Apso. Barbara called him Wilson. He had a terrible habit of chasing cars, and one day we all paid for it this past summer. We were crushed, it wasn't like Casey who lived a long life. We loved Wilson. He was a great dog. His job was as a sentinel. He took care of everybody. Llasa's are not eye oriented, they are audio. They say a Llasa could be blind and you might not notice much difference in behavior. So Wilson, soon as he knew you meant no harm to us, he'd start guarding you too. He'd have a heck of a time if we had an outdoor party, checking out new arrivals and then keeping an eye on everyone. He was always there, but he never got underfoot.

So it took us awhile of grieving, but a couple weeks ago, Barbara saw a Llasa up for adoption close by. He's ten years old. He was homeless because his elderly owner had gone into hospice and soon died of cancer. Barbara thought that a message a good omen, that she should care for this dog. So we traveled to Solway and came back with a new friend named Ben. Barbara doesn't like people names for dogs, so she's trying to think of a name that sounds like Ben but isn't. (Not that the dog knows his name, hasn't proved it so far.) So we think. Benny? Benji? Naw. How about Bennett or Bentley. Bentley sounds good. Like our eldest daughter Kimberly Irene suggested "Dad you could take your Mustang to town and tell people you left your Bentley at home". So Bentley it was...for a couple days. Somehow one day, I called him Benson. Barbara liked it. Easier to say, sounds closer to Ben. What do you know? When Barbara took him in for a check up and a grooming, on the bill it said Benson. So Benson it is. He's a full blood Llasa Apso.

What's a Llasa Apso?

The Lhasa Apso is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet. It was bred as an interior sentinel in the Buddhist monasteries, who alerted the monks to any intruders who entered. Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet and apso is a word in the Tibetan language meaning "bearded," so Lhasa Apso simply means "long-haired Tibetan dog."

Having been bred as an indoor monastery sentinel dog by Tibetan Buddhist monks, Lhasa Apsos are alert with a keen sense of hearing with a rich, sonorous bark that belies their size. The ideal Lhasa temperament is to be wary of strangers while being loyal to those closest to them.

The Lhasa Apso originated in Tibet, perhaps as long ago as 800 B.C., which makes it one of the oldest recognized breeds in the world. Recent research has shown the Lhasa as one of the breeds most closely related to the ancestral wolf.

Referred to in Tibet as Apso Seng Kyi, best translated as "Bearded Lion Dog," the Lhasa's primary function was that of a household sentinel, guarding the homes of Tibetan nobility and Buddhist monasteries, particularly in or near the sacred city of Lhasa. The large Tibetan Mastiffs guarded the monasteries' entrances, but the keen hearing and sharp bark of the Lhasa Apso served to warn residents if an intruder happened to get past the exterior guards. These little guardians were highly prized. It was believed that the bodies of the Lhasa Apsos could be entered by souls of deceased lamas while they awaited reincarnation into a new body. Lhasas in Tibet were never sold. The only way a person could get one was as a gift.

Our friends on Bixby knew we were getting a dog, and asked us to drop by on the way home. We were greeted by nearly the whole family who came rushing out the door with two cameras snapping away. I think Benson thought he was home and was going right out the window.

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Ben Williams
Barbara has a permanent smile. I'll put up with a hound dog any day for that smile.

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment. ~George Eliot
She looks pretty happy. He's getting a little concerned. This isn't home? Please don't take me back to that "place".

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why. ~Author Unknown

Benson takes Barbara for a walk.

A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk. ~O.A. Battista

Hmmm. Something interesting.

When a dog barks at the moon, then it is religion; but when he barks at strangers, it is patriotism! ~David Starr Jordan

The new family.

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull

A man may smile and bid you hail

Yet wish you to the devil;

But when a good dog wags his tail,

You know he's on the level.

~Author Unknown

My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to 99 cents a can. That's almost $7.00 in dog money. ~Joe Weinstein
Time to go home and meet the three felines.

A cat, after being scolded, goes about its business. A dog slinks off into a corner and pretends to be doing a serious self-reappraisal. ~Robert Brault
And off we go.

I read in the papers, there are robbers

With flash lights that shine in the dark

My love needs a doggie to protect her

And scare them away with one bark ~ Patti Page