As many of you know, we lost our beloved dog Tully this summer. We didn’t plan on getting another dog, but Sheriff started showing signs of separation anxiety (he and Tully were litter mates), and we finally relented.
So in September we got a puppy from our friends. The puppy was their favorite of the litter. Our friends gave him the name Primo in honor of his first born status.
As you can see from the photos above, there is a slight resemblance between Primo and Tully. Yet while friends commented on the similarities, I didn’t see it.
Or more accurately, I didn’t want to acknowledge it. We didn’t pick Primo because of the resemblance. And no dog was ever going to replace Tully.
After last weekend, I’m ready to admit it. Jeez, Primo reminds me of Tully!
We took him out to the beach for the first time last weekend. He quickly fell into the same pattern as Tully did. Sheriff fetches the ball and Primo attacks Sheriff. Tully used to get into a crouch, wait for Sheriff to get close enough and then pounce.
It made me wonder if Sheriff’s personality was so strong that any new dog would by necessity end up playing the role Tully had played.
Dana’s Uncle Jim had a funny take on it. He imagined a conversation between the two dogs that might go something like this:
Sheriff: Hey Primo, I’ve got an idea. Let’s play “Sheriff and Tully.” I’ll be Sheriff.
Primo: Oh man, I wanted to be Sheriff this time.
Sheriff: Sorry. You can be Sheriff tomorrow.
Primo (under his breathe): Man, you always say that.
It was a blast. It was great to see Sheriff enjoying himself and to know that his new buddy was helping all of us both move on and remember Tully at the same time.
More adorable puppy photos on Flickr.
