Going To The Dogs!

I know – I know!  I’ve promised not to talk about dogs all of the time, but this weekend was so much fun, I have to share.  So, here goes!

Of course, you know that my miniature schnauzer Lady lives with me.  She is white and, currently, desperately needs a haircut.  She literally looks like a ragamuffin.  I am looking for a new dog groomer.

Paisley’s mom and dad are vacationing in Hawaii.  She has been with Lady and me for more than a week.  She is incredibly sweet and always does what she is asked.  She and Lady get along well.  Paisley sleeps on the bed with us because she is allowed to sleep on the bed, at home.

Katie’s mom and dad realized that they needed to be away for the weekend, so she came to be with all of us.  Three dogs; I was really happy to have all of them at the same time for the weekend.

Of course, it meant altering eating and sleeping accommodations.  Lady and Paisley are comfortable eating in the same room and the same time.  Katie needs her own room for privacy.  Sleeping took a little more arranging.  The first night, we all started in the same room.  Lady, Paisley, and I were on the bed; Katie on her bed on the floor.  Paisley seemed a little nervous and paced the bed, even getting off of the bed once.  That kept me awake, so my solution was to move Paisley into another room to sleep.  Then, we all slept through the night.  That arrangement didn’t hold for the next night, though.  Katie had a room by herself, that night.

Katie, as you know, is a herder.  Well, so is Paisley – an Australian shepherd.  Katie wants to be the alpha, but she forgets that when she is here, she can’t be, because I am.  Always.  She, as well as Lady and Paisley are expected by me to do what I want them to do.  The first few hours, there was a bit of unsureness on the part of Paisley and Katie, but it didn’t take long for each of them to find her place in this foursome of dogs and me.  Having established the “pecking order,” the calmness was in place.  Lady, of course, is not really part of this order because she seems oblivious to anything that is not about her, and she tends to pester both of them, equally.

Katie’s mom was a bit concerned that she would try to be boss around Paisley, but by the evening, I took a photograph of them sleeping next to each other on the floor in the TV room (with Lady sleeping in her safe place on the couch).

They have taught me that they really like to go to bed at 9 pm; midnight (my bedtime) doesn’t work for them.  So, they take their last trip out to the dog run, come in and get a drink of water, and go straight to bed.  And, stay there all night long.  It’s a little like having children who need to be in bed at a specified time.

One of the “games” they play is “who has the bone?”  I have rawhide bones scattered throughout the house, depending on where a dog leaves a bone.  It’s as though they play “musical bones,” because the bones move from dog to dog.  For example, Kate will have a bone.  Lady will have a bone, but Kate wants both bones.  As soon as Lady leaves her bone unprotected, Kate takes it to her spot, so that she can chew on it a while.  But, as soon as Kate leaves the bone for any reason, Lady gets down from her safe place and retrieves the bone for herself.  This kind of musical bones is often played between all three dogs.  When someone takes a bone away from someone else, there is never a quarrel.  It just goes, and when the time is right, the dog from whom the bone was taken regains possession of it.  It is really interesting to watch.

After the dogs are in bed, it gives me a little time for myself to do some things that I can’t do when they are up.  By noontime on the day that Katie had to go home, I think they were well on their way to forming a pack.

I can’t remember many days when I’ve had more fun than these past few days.

Be Safe and Be Well

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.