Oogy_ The Dog Only a Family Could Love - Larry Levin [43]
After Dr. Bianco had concluded the examination, I went to the reception desk and took out my credit card, but Karen shook her head in the negative.
She said, “Oogy’s a no-pay.”
I asked, “What’s a ‘no-pay’?”
She explained, “That means you don’t pay for any of Oogy’s medical treatment here. Ever.”
I was stunned. I had never asked for special treatment, and I certainly hadn’t expected it. They had saved Oogy’s life and entrusted that life to us. And in our separate ways, all of us have contributed to his welfare as best we can. In all the years that have passed since we adopted Oogy, Ardmore Animal Hospital has never charged a dime for anything they have done or provided for Oogy — and multiple surgeries, medicines, and checkups were all required at different periods throughout Oogy’s life to maintain his health.
This speaks volumes both about the special nature of the people at the hospital and about Oogy himself. Years later, Diane revealed that she had made the decision that day not to charge for Oogy’s care. To begin with, she loved Oogy so much and thought his story so triumphant, she had been gratified that we also had immediately appreciated his special nature and had accepted him into our home without qualification and despite his horrific appearance. Then, when we brought him back and she saw how he was thriving in the environment we had created for him, she was thrilled for him and felt vindicated for all the effort that had gone into saving him. We were fulfilling the promise she had initiated, to cherish and care for this special animal. He had been worth it after all.
As soon as I got home that morning, I went online to research Dogos.
The breed is actually called Dogo Argentino. The first picture I saw of a Dogo looked exactly like Oogy. I stared at it in wonderment, looked away to Oogy sleeping on the floor beside me, then back at the picture on the screen. I began to scroll down the page. Because there is mastiff in the breed — the Dogo is also known as the Argentine mastiff — many of the other Dogos I saw in photographs had broader, rounder foreheads than Oogy’s, but his appearance is generally typical.
The Dogo was developed in the 1920s to be a pack hunter and guardian who could be trusted with a family. Dogos are bred to hunt puma (which damage livestock) and boar (which devastate crops), both of which were ravaging farms in Argentina because the farmers and landowners could not stop them or bring them under control. The Dogo is derived from a now extinct breed, the Dog of Cordoba, a fighting dog, and includes traits of the Great Dane (for size), boxer (liveliness and gentleness), Spanish mastiff (power), bulldog (ample chest and boldness), bull terrier (fearlessness), Great Pyrenees (white coat to deflect heat), pointer (sense of smell), Irish wolfhound (endurance and hunting instinct), and Dogue de Bordeaux (powerful jaws).
Adult Dogos typically weigh between one hundred and one hundred ten pounds. Because Oogy was mistreated in his first few months, however, he is comparatively small, weighing in at eighty-five pounds. Given Oogy’s strength and power at eighty-five pounds, I can’t imagine trying to take him for a walk if he weighed a hundred and ten.
A Dogo’s temperament is a fascinating combination of ferocity and gentle devotion to his family. They are unrelenting and fearless hunters — and I do not mean a hunter like a pointer or a retriever, I mean a hunter as in a killing machine. The muscle structure of the Dogo is simply massive, and the breed has tremendous stamina. They can track their prey at a gallop over great distances and are capable of incredible bursts of speed. They are bred to corner and hold their quarry, but they are also capable of killing their prey if it attempts to attack them or break out.
At the same time, the breed is known for being extremely loyal and affectionate with their families and to crave attention from their owners. They are wonderfully tolerant of children. Protective, they will guard their territory against any intruder not welcomed by the family. In