Daisy bit me....

Yes she did. But.....that wouldn't be the end of the story would it?

One entertaining think about pets and children is the torture factor. My sister showed me one day about putting scotch tape on a cat's ears...THAT was an amsuing 15 minutes. The dog we grew up with wasn't torturable. Serious. She had more attitude than I could ever claim!

Now we have 3 to torture. As of late, I have been engaged in a power struggle with my "oldest" Bo. If he leaves himself open, I get his bum in a head lock (yes that would make it a bum lock but I figured you wouldn't get it without the WWF reference). It is not often that I get him as he is fighting to save his bum. He twists out & turns to me in triumph (I swear) when he gets away. When I do get him in the hold, he struggles to get out & you can hear the frustration in his growl & bark. I pat his bum taunting my superior position. This enrages him. Eventually he gets out & turns & barks a "fuck off" as he jumps off of the bed. This is something Bo & I do. He knows it, he avoids me, I attempt to get him...it is something we do. I tried it with Daisy. Not good.

Daisy suffers from "little dog syndrom". She barks at the garbage trucks, busses and other assundry big noises. From my perspective I get it. She is so tiny and powerless against those HUGE things which she can't protect herself from. So I got her in a bum lock, patted her bum and she turned and bit my wrist. The boys just stared. Daisy ran off of the bed. Ran straight to Mike's office. She would not leave Mike's side.

I laughed at this. "NO BITE Daisy". All of my dogs know No Bite. Luke most especially as when we first got him from being a homeless fostered dog, he bit me and I did the No Bite thing. He bit me again. So I bit him. He just stared. The next time he bit me I bit him so he yelped a bit. He has never bit again. For the record, the only times I have been bitten were due to my own aggression and overstepping their limits. Daisy was just interesting to see what she did. Bo takes it in stride when he bites me...moreso leaving it to ME to figure out what I did to deserve it. Daisy still struggles...again I figure it is her only defense.

SO, she is hiding in Mike's office. I am on the bed and both boys are avoiding eye contact and strangely still. Mike is saying "Daisy go in there and apologize to her". I can hear her in his office....not moving. Me, I say "No Daisy, bad dog". Mike chastises me.

I hear her move into the hallway (hard wood floors before you ask how I know where she is) and I say again "No Daisy, bad dog". I heard her go back into Mike's office. I hear Mike attempt to console her. I just reiterate "No Daisy, bad dog". She won't move from Mike's room.

It truly went on for 30 minutes. I was intrigued as to the behaviors with the dogs. I realize they are dogs but sometimes the embarassment, shame, anger, affection, and pride is so similar to how we react that I am eager to see how things play out. Mike lectures me not to make them feel shame...but it is interesting how things look. When we first got the boys, I was introduced to shame. Bo had a "physical reaction" to something the boys were doing. I, never having owned a boy dog, was not sure if he had sustained an injury. SOOOO, I held him down with a damp paper towel to see if blood was on his peepee. Yah....no blood. Bo would NOT make eye contact...I could interpret his body language "MOMMMMMMM....gosh". Not long after that Mike said I had to stay downstairs...I asked why, and Mike informed me that Bo wa having a "physical reaction" and would not cross the hallway until I left. Yup....he had a doggy erection and was embarassed to have his momma see it.

Luke has a different kind of "je ne sais quois" way of looking at it. One day I caught the boys on our bed. I yelled and seperated them. I looked at Luke and said "You know the rules...not in Momma's bed and not near Daisy". Luke barked in response. I answered "I know it feels good, but there are rules". He looked at Bo then looked at me and barked. I countered "I know he likes it too but I don't want to see it and I don't want it on my bed and I don't want Daisy to see it". He ended his part of the argument with a few barks and trotted off. Mike observed all of this. "Um....how do you know what he is saying?". Obviously I didn't...but I explained that Luke is my talker and it seemed logical that he state his case to continue what he liked. So I went with it....and he still argues with me at times.

Now, Daisy and I were at a stalemate. I called her and she didn't leave Mike. For some reason she gets anxious when I say "Belly belly" (I think it goes back to the fear she has of getting a pink belly like Bo does). But she didn't come. The next thing I know I hear her come in to the bedroom (both boys looked up, I swear) and she paused before she jumped on the bed and went to her normal spot. She licked me and settled in. So, she knew what she did but didn't know how to get past it. God bless her she just faced the demon and just told me she loved me and things are fine by her.

Yes, they are dogs. I realize I am giving them human characteristics. I don't due this out of loneliness or missing children of my own...but as you have something under your care, you start noticing their actions and reactions just as they notice ours. And more often than not, I think we make both of us laugh.

Be great to you!
H