Josh likes to be scratched

By isak, March 15, 2009

Joshua Michael Bodean has recently decided that being scratched is a good thing… maybe better than rubbing against the trunk of a tree.

Ordinarily, this would not seem like a big thing, but you have to understand Joshua. On April Fool’s Day, Josh will be 5 years old. He was born five years ago just off the side of the road in a lot some folks from Houston had given me permission to feed his mom on. She and another female dog appeared near there one day. At first meeting, you might think his mom was extremely abused from all the scars on her body and her fear of people. But over time, I have come to believe that she is a feral dog and has always been on her own; that her scars are proof that she has been in some rather nasty dog fights. She has a torn nose, ripped ear and a few hairless scars on her back end. She has known me for more than five years and I still cannot touch her.

A couple days after Sister (that’s Josh’s mom) gave birth, I trapped her in a small cage and moved them all to the vet for a quick checkup, and then to my house. I just wish I knew she would have fallen for fried chicken sooner… like before she got pregnant.

Anyway, in the past few weeks as I am cleaning up the yard, Josh kind of lingers closer and closer. One day while I was leaning over, he came up close. So I reached out my arm and started scratching his throat and chest. I could tell from the look on his face that he was thinking it felt good, but I could also see that he was very nervous to be that close. Just then, JoJo — one of his sisters — came up and all was okay. This behavior is repeated almost every day now in the morning and in the evening when I am cleaning up the yard.

Five years… it has taken him almost five years to reach this point. Aside from his mom, he is the last one to be touched. Next thing you know, he’ll come in the house.

Here’s a baby photo of Josh after I brought him home.