Here's a thought for you: duality is standard, and even more so, desired. "Heh!" you say. "She must be nuts. Being two-faced is the worst." No one wants to be two-faced, or have a friend that is, or date someone with a dual personality. Come on. Every person who graduated from the eighth grade knows that.

There is an exception, of course, as there always is to every maxim set forth on this Earth. The exception that I'd like to talk about today is the Fila Brasileiro, dog extrordinaire. The Fila is a very, very special breed of dog. I would even say that based on personality and temperament, it has no peers. Physically, the Fila is a magnificent and regal animal, with graceful, fluid and agile movements which may surprise one considering how large the breed is.

It is what is inside that long-eared, wrinkly head that makes the Fila truly unique. You see, my friends, the mind of the Fila has remained as it has been throughout its ancestry, as fresh and as vibrant as before. The Fila, first, second and last is a protection dog. Please do not start thinking of Doberman Pinschers or German Shepherds. These dogs are nothing when compared to the Fila Brasileiro. The Fila requires no training to defend and protect; the ability and drive to do so have been bred into him. When fierce loyalty and devotion is mixed with complete fearlessness, sprinkled with a natural guarding instinct and the ability to make decisions, up rises from the mix an unparalleled guardian and companion. Enhancing these qualities is an inborn dislike and distrust of strangers, which I am sure by now you have all heard about.

Each individual dog "comes into his/her own" at a different time. I knew that my puppy had reached her point of no return with the Jehovah's Witnesses at nine months. Since then, she has assumed her role as my personal protector, from threats great and small. For example, one day we were walking along a city street. There was a guy walking towards us and he said, "that is the clumsiest dog I have ever seen in my life!" I was in a mood so I replied, "that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life!" The guy was surprised (because it was pretty rude) and he turned around and said "hey!" in that slightly-raised-offended voice. My puppy took one step toward him, growled a deep growl and stared at him. He walked away, mumbling and shaking his head. Another night I had a friend over at my house. We were in the kitchen talking and the puppy was laying on the floor in front of us. I was leaning against the counter, and our teacups were behind me. My friend leaned over towards me to get her cup. In a flash, before either of us could blink, my puppy had jumped up into the air and grabbed my friends arm and was holding it still. A very significant detail is that she was not hurting my friend at all, she was holding her arm firmly. She was not growling, she just was not about to let my friend touch me. As soon as I found my voice, she released my friends arm. Before this incident and afterwards, the puppy allowed my friend to pet her. Something that is so cool about the breed and is such a credit to them, and to my puppy in particular, is that the response is equal to the "offense". This is not a breed of dog that will go overboard or lose its head (if properly raised...as with any breed).

My dog happens to hate strange men. I have not figured out the reason yet. She loves the men that she knows, but absolutely will not tolerate strange men talking to her. One day there is a knock on the door and we hear someone say "meter man!". All hell broke loose and she absolutely was not going to let this man through the door. I actually had to lock her in the bathroom even though she sounded like she was going to come through the door at any second. The poor meter man ran through my house as fast as his legs would carry him! Something I would like to work on with my puppy is getting her to turn off in situation like these when I tell her to. If that meter man was an axe-murderer in disguise, my Fila would have done me no good to be locked in the bathroom. However I do know exactly what would happen if somebody came into the house uninvited or behaved in a threatening way towards me. That makes me feel safe and sound.

So far I have only discussed the protection aspect of my Fila puppy. For the vast majority of the time, she does not act like this, but is her every-day, sweet, goofy and frisky self. Her personality is so multi-faceted that it borders on human-like. She has a sense of humor and is in tune with my moods. She follows me around the house like a shadow and never lets me out of her sight. To be owned by her is a great pleasure, and while I think that the Fila is not a breed for everyone, I think that for those special people there is a very special relationship waiting to be had with one of these extra-ordinary dogs.