Who Are You?

HARNESSED NOT LEASHED, WILD OR TAME?

In October 2012, Pete Townshend of the band "The Who" wrote and released his autobiography titled "Who I Am."  Here is a review, if you like.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/books/review/who-i-am-pete-townshends-memoir.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I thought it a nice play on the band's name as well as on their hit song-not sure which or both were intended. This idea of "who are you" used to come to me occasionally when I looked across at Paul and thought "who are you?"  Why is the stranger on my couch? When growing up in our Pomonok Queens apartment I expected my parents and my sister to be on the couch or on one of the chairs. That was the family. In my adult life I had a new person, Paul. Then five years ago another "person" joined in, Liam. Paul and I sit on the couch with Liam between us. We both pet Liam and our hands meet.  Like an electric shock we both jump! We both expect a paw and get a hand.  It occurs to me that this other family member, our son, is really an animal-a potential beast.

BEAST WITH NIGHT EYES

It has been a long road, 15,000 to 31, 000 years depending on which study you believe but Liam and other dogs are probable descendants of wolves. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/dogs/index.html
Liam thinks he is a human. He has not read the article in the above link. I am sure that he sees the physical difference between us and dogs. I know this because he will always pick a human to play with over another dog. He does not like hanging with other dogs. In play group at his Best in Show Pet Hotel he always stands next to the human group leader as if he is also in charge. I think of this when I hear him snore during a TV show. He carefully places his head on a pillow in the most human like manner and curls up in my shawl to watch Revenge, Top Chef and anything on CNN.  Paul and I often ask each other "Did you set him up? Did he do that himself? Yes he did.

I look at him looking at me.  Wild dog? wolf? dingo? Who are you? Here is "The Who"

Who are you?
My mother said "He is his own person."

WHO I AM -  LIAM

Woof, Woof