So I planned on coming home from the adoption event today with one new foster, but just fell for this little cuddly fluffy cutie pie. He looks like a havanese to me, but is listed as a bichon/shih tzu. Point being, he’s a little fluffy thing with a pretty tail and some pretty hair on his face (he had terrible skin problems when he came in, so his body is shaven.)
But everyone thinks he’s a her. I’m just now coming around to calling him “him”.
I think tomorrow, I may get him a spiky collar. And I’m considering having him completely shaven, too. We had a Havenese totally shaven (including her face) and she was the cutest thing ever. And his haircut on his head is kind of funny and uneven.
Anyway, what else can I do to make him look super-manly? I’m even willing to put him in stupid outfits if it will help. Maybe a headband across his forehead like Rambo? (which, by the way, might be a good name for him. He needs an masculine name because he’s such a sweete-pie
Mix fake blood capsules in with his kibble so he has that “blood of my enemies drips from my mouth” dynamic going on. Call him Butch, Blade, Killer or Steve.
I feel your pain. My Bichon, Martini, is so fucking cute that it breaks your heart. He looks effeminate enough on a normal day, but after a trip to the groomer? Fuggedaboutit!
All you can do is make sure you have a “boys color” collar and harness on him, and keep his hair short enough that his massive unit is on proud display.
I like the name Hemingway, actually. Gives a certain air of respectability and rugged manliness under a civilized tweed jacket. A Hemingway can fetch your slippers or tie a marlinspike hitch knot. Y’know, if he had thumbs.
But yes, a little black studded or thick brown leather collar is probably your best visual cue for a Y chromosome. Maybe a blue blanket or mat in his crate. Even a blue sheet of paper with his info tacked next to the cage will give an unconscious “boy” signal to viewers.
And half of them will still assume he’s a girl no matter what you do, so don’t expend a whole lot of energy here.
You could go the other way, embrace the frou-frou. My sister’s poodle mix is a fluffy little guy who wears a rhinestone collar. Anybody questioning whether he’s a boy never saw him attempting to hump my mom’s labrador every chance he got.
My dad lives next door to a female Rottweiler that he insists on calling “he” because her voice is so deep when she barks. Madness! Release these dogs from the patriarchal tyranny of rigidly defined gender roles, and let them be free to be themselves!
My dog is always assumed to be female even though his fur is so short you can see clearly that he is not. Even after I tell them HIS name, they still call him “she”.
Dog gender doesn’t matter unless he isn’t going to be neutered. If he is, then call him a girl and dress him up in pink. Nobody will know the difference, unless he turns into a leg-humper.
If you’re using him as a breeding stud, uh… spiky collar and maybe a little baseball cap.
How adorable, and he looks Havanese to me. I have one Havanese and one Bolognese, and the fur on these breeds can be beautiful, but alot of work. Tangles can set in close to the skin, and cause trouble, if they are not caught soon and combed out or cut. The hair grows long and sheds very little, but it snarls up fast and gets worse, so they have to be groomed frequently.
Otherwise they are a joy, very loving and sweet, lots of personality and fun.
