As the canine world turns. . .

I am the leader of the pack for four, I repeat, 4, four-legged people this week. A friend of ours kept our two dogs while we were at camp last week; and this week, we have her two while she and her family are away on a cruise. Let me introduce you to Chuckie (red-haired Dachsund, age 10), Lillian (black cockapoo, age 9), Jazzmin (black pug, age 5) and Ozzie (blond pug, age 5). All four are medium sized and all but one are spayed and neutered. All four are also highly intelligent dogs and each has his/her own unique personality.

They are fascinating to watch. Each evening after work, I want to pop a tub of popcorn and just sit back and enjoy the unfolding drama. Both of the males are neutered; this is significant because my Chuckie is an alpha male. Without the little snip snip, there would have been no way he would allow another male in his home. As it is, he keeps a very close eye on Ozzie and frequently reminds Ozzie that he is in a one down position. My Lillian was rescued about 4 years ago. The shelter had planned to euthanize her because she had had multiple failed adoptions; she tended to attach herself to one family member and would respond aggressively to anyone, animal or human, who tried to get between her and her chosen one. Fortunately, she has been able to adapt very well to our home and has learned to share my attentions with Chuckie and my son. It is testing her last nerve though that Ozzie is a cuddler and he likes to curl up under me whenever I sit for more than 5 minutes. I can see her holding herself back, but I KNOW she would like nothing better than to grab him by the cuff of his neck and snatch him away from me. Bless her! Ozzie is recovering from a recent encounter with a pit bull. He has lost sight in one eye and displays trauma symptoms whenever Chuckie or Lillian growls at him. When he was younger, and before the attack, he was the most hyper dog I had ever seen. I used to beg his owner to give him Xanex or perhaps a shot of Vodka just to calm him DOWN. He's much calmer now and needs more physical reassurances; hence the cuddling. And then there's Jazzmin. She is the only one not spayed. She has had two or three litters with Ozzie (before his snip snip) and she is our resident vamp. Ozzie has fond memories of his romantic times with Jazzmin; I can tell by his repeated attempts to mount her. Chuckie is still a virgin (he was snipped when he was a teenager) however, none of that matters now, because when Jazzmin turns her big brown eyes in his direction and blows her nose in that certain way, it brings out the lover in him. He's also trying to mount her. One may wonder how Lillian is coping with both of the males in our pack paying all of this loving attention to Jazzmin? Well, she's trying to mount Jazzmin too!!! Don't worry, for you behaviorists out there who may be reading this. I know that the purpose of this move is to establish dominance and that it is not sexual in nature, but it is still funny as heck to watch.

I know I am the confirmed pack leader. A couple nights ago, I underestimated how tired I was and ended up falling asleep on the couch in the living room. When I woke up about 4 am, with all the lights and TV still on, I felt kinda cramped and was unable to move freely. When I opened my eyes, I found myself with Lillian curled around my head, Ozzie cuddled under my left shoulder, Chuckie laid out on his back in the crook of my legs and Jazzmin laying on my feet, snoring!