Otterhound

I feel very fortunate to have Bismark since Otterhounds are really an endangered breed. Very few to be found and yet I have one. That's not the only reason I'm fortunate: it's also Bismark himself. I really love this dog!

Of course, some say a dog is a dog; that they all share similar traits and characteristics. But logically, people are people and we also share similar traits and characteristics . But each human is different enough to be unique, and so it is with dogs.

I'm not trying to be philosophical; I'm just making the point that even within the dog family, each breed is different enough to be of their own character, and each member of that breed has individual and unique qualities. That said, Bismark is a oner, as my Dad used to say. Bismark definitely has his own desires and dreams, and he finds ways to express them, enjoy them and howl about them (he is an Otterhound, after all). I don't know what he expects out of life and how much he can reason on the future, but I do know that Bismark expects tomorrow to be just as exciting as today.

If he has something like genetic memory, maybe when he goes to sleep he dreams of being a hunter of otters; maybe his only memory is of the swim we took together in the river this afternoon. Or could be that he looks at me and thinks that if I were still in my prime we'd be going again tomorrow, because he always seems ready to go, no matter what. But he's a sympathetic creature, and when we stay home he does all he can to care for me. That's my Bismark.