He's the love of Tobi's life.
Ben is the reason she endures her grooming..the bath, haircut, toenail clipping and other unmentionable things that we won't go into here....and even the cutesy little bows that she sometimes allows the groomer to put on her ears, it's all for the love of Ben!
Unfortunately for Tobi, Ben is a "man about town" and usually won't give her the time of day. You know the type. He goes traipsing about town from one end to the other, usually looking straight ahead. Everybody in town knows Ben and knows his name and it's not so much that Ben is friendly with everybody, he is actually kind of aloof. If you call him by name he will stop and look at you for a minute, then go on his merry way without so much as a "howdy-do", leaving you with the impression that he doesn't have time for you or can't be bothered.
Poor Tobi. She gets so fiesty, in spite of her almost 14 years, when she see's Ben on the street. Even though Ben is not a bad looking speciman, he's no spring chicken either, so to speak. With every chance meeting Tobi starts prancing along and shaking her beautiful, long, blond, tail from side to side...looking at him longingly with those big brown eyes. The other day Tobi and I were taking our walk out the street and we met Ben walking down the other side. He just kept walking on, refusing to look in her direction. She started to run from me to get to Ben but I held tightly to her leash. She then began a whining sound almost like crying. I really think she had tears in her eyes. Then she started a low, woofing bark to try and get his attention, but Ben kept right on going down the street, completely ignoring her.
My heart breaks for Tobi when I have to watch her go through this humiliation. She received a little bit of encouragement a few days ago when DH took her for her walk. Ben's "daddy" drove by them with Ben perched in the passenger's seat. He stopped the car and said, "Ben says, 'Hello', and Ben goes, "Woof, Woof!!" Tobi was such a happy girl for a little while.
I just know that someday soon Ben will realize what a wonderful old girl Tobi is and it will be too late for him. She will become so weary with vying for his affections that she will decide she doesn't need him at all. Then when she sees him on the street again, she will turn that beautiful, blond tail in his direction and say, "Talk to the butt, Ben. Talk to the Butt!"
