The Testosterone Issue

The He Hormone You have to know me to appreciate the fact that most people don't believe that my dog arrived already named Butch.  His name is part of what told me he might be right for me. He's a registered pure-bred with a lengthy registered name. Not testosterone stupid He acquired "Butch" as a puppy obviously because his testosterone issue showed at a very early age. He continues with this issue today even though he was neutered before he was a year old. But he is not testosterone-stupid: he may race out to challenge a very big dog, but can just as quickly reverse course to retreat between my legs for protection.    Construction worker cowers Butch has used the element of surprise quite effectively several times. One burly construction worker proved it as he hopped into the back of his pickup in one swift move when Butch went racing up to him barking.  The guy was chagrined when he looked down at 15 pound Butch. "He looked bigger," the guy said. As with many brachycephalic dogs, Butch doesn't have a very big mouth for nipping others.  So an aggressive testosterone-inspired bark can do wonders. Body builder boyfriends Many pet owners opt for females, obviously because of the testosterone issue. I recall in my pre-Butch interview with the breeder, I was asked if I'd had male dogs before. Should I have mentioned the several body-builder boyfriends I've had? My first body-builder boyfriend in the seventies worked out at the Sheridan Square Health Club, favored by many porn stars of the day. More significantly, he ended up giving me a black eye. Compulsive urination So, I guess I was prepared to deal with a male dog. It's how I can rationalize his compulsive need to hike his leg and attempt to urinate. There is one walk we frequently take where many other dogs are walked. He can hardly let any protruding structure on his horizon go without trying to squeeze out a few drops. It was the second black eye Since the body builder had actually given me my second black eye, I had to admit even in the seventies that I was attracted to testosterone. So I've had to take various strategies to avoid the violent outbreaks I can engender. One of these is quite obvious ­ don't dally with the many guys a black eye attracts.

Butch with Bonnie on the right, an Australian Shephard who lives with my brother and sister-in-law in Santa Fe.  On the left is Albert who was visiting from the neighbors on the day of this photo.   Testosterone Factoids Men produce 10 to 20 times as much testosterone as most women do. An easy-to-apply testosterone gel is set to hit the market in the summer of 2000 Girls with markedly tom boyish childhoods were born to women in the 50's who had taken a testosterone-like drug to prevent miscarriage. Four times as many men are arrested as women. Nearly 90 percent of murderers are men. Similarly, almost 100 percent of those murdered by the state for crimes are men.   Butch has always been good at locating cute guys.

© 1999-2001 Dan Farrell Davis