MAN’S BEST FRIEND Robert Rushford
For a long time those furry, four legged friends of ours, known as the Dog Species, have been cited as Man’s Best Friend. I Robert Rushford am the proud owner of one very smart dog, known as Cooper. I also have a very agile and immature cat called Stephen.
Like children - each has a very individual personality and whilst we are three males, living together we have entirely different personalities.
Cooper is a happy Jack Russell - with the local vet citing him as the “happiest dog she has ever met”. He has the run of the farm, but instead prefers to come to work with me and at the end of a hard day’s work sleep at the end of the bed, with Stephen. Cooper wouldn’t be the ally I’d look to save my life in a fight, but he would be the one who would lie on my grave until he himself wasted away. Cooper’s loyalty to me is undeniably unquestionable. He loves people, but his Master - and I suppose I am his master, he literally can’t get enough of. Fully house trained, except when I take him to my ex wife’s place to be dog sat, he knows his P’s and Q’s and is both obedient and funny. His party trick is to sing with me, with him being the one who stays in tune. Cooper is without doubt this Man’s Best Friend.
Now Stephen, in contrast, is a character within a cat. He is fearless, snuggly, playful and someone annoying - depositing his “kill” of the day at the foot of my bed with pride. Stephen, will disappear for days at a time, returning without any explanation of where he has been nor the purpose of his departure. He uses the house as a place to eat and sleep. He fights with Cooper over certain territory - like the couch and the best part of the bed. Stephen is a friend who allows you in, but not IN. Stephen pays no attention to rules posted around the house, such as no jumping on the benches in the kitchen or stealing food from my plate when I become distracted. Many long chats with both Cooper and Stephen have resulted in Cooper towing the line and Stephen stretching out his little paw and flicking it across the front of his face. Words are lost on Stephen, but I truly believe Cooper understands. Man’s best friend? - I have no doubts.