Ray, the Gentleman

This is the beautiful story of Ray, 2 ½, male English Setter, whose human “parents” Mimmo, 54, and Marianna, 46, are living between Galatone, Puglia, and Salerno, Calabria. We ran into each other at Le Orte Beach the other Saturday and got to talk while the dogs were making friends instantly. Just that Sidney, the typical Labrador, couldn’t stop begging for food, whereas spotty little Ray was just sitting there, like a distinguished gentleman, waiting for his family to finish their lunch to then take them out for a walk by the sea. We exchanged numbers to keep in touch (how nice to have a dog – everything becomes easier) and here we go: Welcome to the Amazingdogstales Family, dear Ray!     

How did you guys meet?
We have been living together since Ray was one year old. He came as a kind gift from a dear friend.

What did you like most about him?
What won us over immediately were his shyness and his innate sweetness and docility.

What kind of relationship do you have with your dog?
We simply cannot live without one another.

What’s his favourite thing to do?
His greatest passion is running in the countryside and hunting lizards.

How do you understand each other?
We understand each other with our eyes and with a few firm verbal commands. However, he can be a bit stubborn and, when he insists on not wanting to do something, it is not easy to convince him. He doesn’t give in even with the classic promise of a sweet reward. In these cases the only choice is to wait until he changes his mind.

Is there anything that always works with him? No matter what?
The only “trick” is not to consider him or pretend to leave him alone, that works fairly well. The whistle works, too.

Who would he be if not a dog?
If he were a person he would be shy, cuddly and fearful – but also very good and very sweet.

Why do you love him?
We love him because he is a part of us and we couldn’t live without him.

What’s the funniest thing he ever does?
He sometimes freezes sitting and remains immobile thinking about who knows what for a long time, even 20-30 seconds! Therefore our niece calls him the “thinking dog”.

Do you get closer to other people thanks to him?
Sure, we’re quite enjoying that Ray gives us the opportunity to meet other people – as it happened with you too 😉

Who are his favourite people when you’re not around?
We leave him with my sister who is also madly in love with him. He knows he will be pampered and spoiled by her and my brother-in-law just the same.

Your favourite thing to do with him?
Long walks and and nice nap afterwards, where we’re hugging each other on the sofa until he falls asleep on top of me.

Any dreams you’d like to come true?
I’d love to have a nice house with a beautiful garden, just for him.

Last but not least: Any suggestions for potential dog owners?
Don’t waste time: ⁠Ray teaches us to love unconditionally, gives us a world of beautiful emotions every day and improves the quality of our lives.