Our Pet of the Day: Thor

Those who know me weren't too surprised when I named my dog after the Norse God of Thunder, thereby making my pet the Dog of Thunder. They weren't surprised because it's a typical nerd thing to do and well, I'm a typical nerd.

Thor, on the other hand, is not your typical dog. At least not to me he isn't.

Thor is a Shih Tzu and will turn six years old this month. I am relatively certain he isn't aware of the fact that he's a Shih Tzu and instead believes himself to be a much larger breed of dog. His attitude is most assuredly that of a larger dog from the way he walks to the way he guards my house.

Those who visit my house will find themselves greeted by first Thor's barking and then his excitement in seeing a new face. He truly is all bark and no bite when it comes to guests. The only danger he poses is that he will take in all the new scents a person brings with them until he is absolutely satisfied that he's smelled them as thoroughly as is possible with his short snout.

Thor is most definitely a lap dog. He will snuggle down against me when I get home from work and be content to be right up next to me whether I pet him or not. If he is in the mood to be petted, however, he will let you know by pawing at your hand or pushing his head under your arm to let you know it's time to make with the ear rubs and butt scritches.

Thor's knack for wanting to snuggle persists into the summer months which can be a point of contention with me. I've never had a dog that puts off as much heat as Thor and he wants to be right up against me regardless of the temperature. I've woke up sweating and pushed him away from me only to find him right back up against me a few minutes later.

While he is an inside dog, Thor loves going outside with me. It might just be to sit on the porch but Thor will happily exit the house whenever given the opportunity. But he is polite about it, he won't come outside without an invitation. He expects to be invited, however, and will scratch at the door if I am on the porch to remind me I haven't asked him to come outside yet.

Our relationship takes odd turns and I'm not always certain I am the one in charge. He has some odd mannerisms but I deal with them because honestly, who am I to judge?

To enter "Thor" as the Pet of the Day and receive 1500 reward points, you can click here.