Best Friends
Best Friends is a weekly feature designed to highlight a local resident and his or her pets. To suggest someone for the series, contact Shari Rampenthal, assistant editor, at srampenthal@themonroetimes.com.
Tere Dunlap, a former animal technician in the Army and former reporter for the Monroe Times, talks about her best friend, 13-year-old rat terrier-beagle mix Bo.
Dunlap adopted Bo two years ago from the Green County Humane Society. She was inspired by a woman she wrote about years ago who adopted dogs no one else wanted and decided she wanted to adopt an older dog. Other than a previous eye injury, slightly chubby figure and poor hearing, Bo is in good health.
- Marissa Weiher
Describe Bo's personality.
He is the most loving, sweet, adorable and affectionate dog to me, and he hates everyone else. He has a really nasty growl, and he'll bare his teeth. He hates having his toenails clipped. He's become spoiled on treats. He follows me all over the place. He can't see very well, but he'll track me until he finds me, then because he's old, he'll fall asleep. He likes his belly scratched and he gets his back rubbed every night. I raised chihuahuas for 10 years so he's kinda bigger than I'm used to.
What do you like to do together?
We like to eat together and sleep together. At some point at night, he'll bark at me wanting to go to bed. He won't go places without me. He'll make me go to the kitchen with him to get a drink of water. He does a few tricks such as sit and sit up, but I don't make him do them very often. He's an old dog. I think he deserves to spend his last years however he wants. Oh, and he does like to play tug-of-war.
What has it been like having Bo in your life?
It's humbling to have somebody that has to be right with me. He always waits for me to come home. I've never had one like him that has to be right with me. I don't know if it's for his comfort or my protection. He leaves a lot of dog hair around, but you put up with a lot of stuff when you love somebody.
Dunlap adopted Bo two years ago from the Green County Humane Society. She was inspired by a woman she wrote about years ago who adopted dogs no one else wanted and decided she wanted to adopt an older dog. Other than a previous eye injury, slightly chubby figure and poor hearing, Bo is in good health.
- Marissa Weiher
Describe Bo's personality.
He is the most loving, sweet, adorable and affectionate dog to me, and he hates everyone else. He has a really nasty growl, and he'll bare his teeth. He hates having his toenails clipped. He's become spoiled on treats. He follows me all over the place. He can't see very well, but he'll track me until he finds me, then because he's old, he'll fall asleep. He likes his belly scratched and he gets his back rubbed every night. I raised chihuahuas for 10 years so he's kinda bigger than I'm used to.
What do you like to do together?
We like to eat together and sleep together. At some point at night, he'll bark at me wanting to go to bed. He won't go places without me. He'll make me go to the kitchen with him to get a drink of water. He does a few tricks such as sit and sit up, but I don't make him do them very often. He's an old dog. I think he deserves to spend his last years however he wants. Oh, and he does like to play tug-of-war.
What has it been like having Bo in your life?
It's humbling to have somebody that has to be right with me. He always waits for me to come home. I've never had one like him that has to be right with me. I don't know if it's for his comfort or my protection. He leaves a lot of dog hair around, but you put up with a lot of stuff when you love somebody.