Every time we walk Tobby, someone asks the same question. A mother with a small child, a neighbor with groceries, a man who suddenly crosses to the other side of the street. They look at him, a big chocolate Labrador, strong chest, powerful paws, and they ask carefully: “Does he bite?”
And every time, I have to stop and think. Not because I'm not sure of the answer. Because I'm honestly not sure Tobby knows what the word means.
On paper, he is a hunter. Labradors were bred to work: to run through cold water, to find, to retrieve, to follow a scent for hours. Somewhere deep inside him, that instinct is still there. You can see it when a bird lands on the grass and his whole body freezes, nose forward, one paw lifted. For a second he looks like exactly what he was made to be.
And then the bird flies away, and Tobby looks at me as if to say: well, that was exciting. Is there something to eat?
This is the same dog who lost a battle with the yard cats (I told that story in The Bravest Coward). The same dog who wants to greet every sheep on a mountain road and then hides behind me when one comes too close. The same dog who carries his toys so gently that they survive for years, except for the lion, who lost his ears to love, not to anger.
He has never needed teeth to tell us what he feels. He has the look.
The look when I come home late and tired. The look when he wants a walk and pretends he doesn't. The look before dinner, waiting for his kiss on the forehead. The look that says “I'm sorry” after stealing a sock, and the one that says “I'm here” when I'm crying and don't want anyone to see. That look has done more for me in hard years than many words.
So when someone asks if he bites, I usually smile and say: “No. But he might stare at you until you love him.”
Most of them do.
Who in your life says more with one look than with any words?
Would you like to share your answer?
I read every answer myself. It stays private unless you say otherwise.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, please reach out to local emergency services or a crisis line in your country right now. You deserve immediate support.
With love, from HerWay (and Tobby)
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