Reggie is a lover, not a fighter

I’ll grant you, Reggie looks ferocious.

He is, after all, a rather large pit bull, tall and lanky and weighs about 75 pounds. With his massive block head, he can be intimidating. He’s the kind of dog who keeps burglars at bay (though I’m not sure he would notice. Most days I come home Reggie just sleeps in his bed and only comes out when called). So it’s no wonder people tend to steer clear when the two of us are on a walk.

When I tell folks that he’s just a big baby who loves to sit in your lap, they seem to relax. He is more of a lover than a fighter, and much prefers basking in the warmth of the sunshine on the living room floor.

Other dogs, however, aren’t buying it.

I think it’s a case that he’s just big, much like how the biggest guy in the room is the one who will be challenged because someone else wants to prove how tough they are.

Case in point.

The other morning I was walking Reggie on Sherman Avenue and we crossed paths with another man walking his shorter, stockier pit bull. Both dogs stared at each other, so I pulled Reggie tighter and tugged on his leash to get him to walk away.

About then the other dog broke free of its leash and in seconds covered the 20 feet between them.

Fight on.

It was almost comical. While I was trying to pull Reggie back, his attacker was running in circles, occasionally lunging, while its owner raced in circles after it.

The whole episode lasted only about 30 seconds before the man caught his dog and pulled him away. He apologized profusely and while I was annoyed, I said it was OK. No harm. Reggie came away with a small cut on his face and hurt feelings, I think, but was otherwise fine.

Reggie might do well with a playmate.

We’ve been considering adopting another dog, so by appointment, we visited the Kootenai Humane Society to have Reggie meet a smaller version of himself I saw on their website. You never know how dogs will react when they meet. This one, it’s fair to say, didn’t do well.

While Big Reggie wagged his tail and wanted to play, Little Reggie, as I called him, wasn’t having it. He growled ferociously, barked loudly and was crouched for battle. Both dogs were strong and powerful. The KHS employee quickly said this match wasn’t going to work, adding she would not want to get between those two dogs if they fought. I agreed. I would not put them in a situation where that might happen.

(Good news, Little Reggie was adopted shortly after. He was a good dog, but just needed a home that didn’t already have one).

So, we’re still searching for Reggie’s little buddy.

Here’s the description of what we’re after: Older, must play well with pit bulls and most important, must be willing to bark at burglars.

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Bill Buley is assistant managing editor of The Press and can be reached at bbuley@cdapress.com.