threenorns
Well-Known Member
.... and he was a *rock star*.
only one incident and he was totally not the initiator: it was one of the most interesting dogs i've ever seen - i couldn't make out at all what the shepherd was mixed with and it turned out that it was a coydog!
the coy-dog, Grady, was perfectly fine with dandy, friendly in an alert way, and the two of them were having a grand sniff-fest when all of a sudden, he went NUTS all over dandy. and i mean NUTS. judging by the owner's snap-fast reaction of pulling directly up on the leash and forcing him into a sit, i'm guessing that happens a lot.
i didn't get upset, i just brought dandy to my side and pointed out that dandy was sniffing Grady's ear when that happened.
"oh, yeah - he hates it when ppl mess around with his ears" so i suggested maybe they should get his ears checked and, since both dogs were studiously ignoring each other, took my leave.
but i have to ask: WTH possesses ppl to bring dog- or child- unfriendly animals to a freakin' family festivity!? twice i was told not to let my daughter near the dog - "he's not good with kids" (and both times, the dog was *staring* at saari with lowered head, ears forward and rigid, tail up and stiff, hackles raised; one dog even had a front paw raised!). neither dog was muzzled and there were *many* little toddlers cruising around with their faces at the dog's height! (one dog was a purebred shepherd, the other was a yellow lab mix).
dandy's bestie of the day was a puppy mill rescue - the freakiest little .... um.... i dunno-what, but i think it was meant to be a yorkie. but the features were extremely exaggerated - the face was *very* pointed and the feathers flew out in very long, very straggly strings (they were told that's just how it's going to be unless they cut them down level with the rest of the fur which they didn't want to do because then he looked even wierder). he was the last one left from the 33 dogs rescued and nobody wanted him so this elderly disabled couple (he with a heart condition, she with a rolling walker) took him in. he and dandy got along so beautifully to the point that when dandy rolled over for a belly rub, so did Chauncy! everybody around was all "aaaaaaw!!!!!!".
it was heart-breaking to see what was happening with another of his besties, The Brown Dog Jiggs. jiggs is a smooth-coated collie with incredibly long, elegant lines - but he's suffering from cognitive dementia. he was neutered at 8wks before he was adopted out and i, personally, put the blame squarely on that. he still remembered dandy, though, and for a few minutes, we all watched him get young again - playing and romping and acting so goofy when a moment before, he was an old man frightened at all the confusion and the owner was telling me sadly that this was the last public event he would be present at because it was clearly too overwhelming for him.
only one incident and he was totally not the initiator: it was one of the most interesting dogs i've ever seen - i couldn't make out at all what the shepherd was mixed with and it turned out that it was a coydog!
the coy-dog, Grady, was perfectly fine with dandy, friendly in an alert way, and the two of them were having a grand sniff-fest when all of a sudden, he went NUTS all over dandy. and i mean NUTS. judging by the owner's snap-fast reaction of pulling directly up on the leash and forcing him into a sit, i'm guessing that happens a lot.
i didn't get upset, i just brought dandy to my side and pointed out that dandy was sniffing Grady's ear when that happened.
"oh, yeah - he hates it when ppl mess around with his ears" so i suggested maybe they should get his ears checked and, since both dogs were studiously ignoring each other, took my leave.
but i have to ask: WTH possesses ppl to bring dog- or child- unfriendly animals to a freakin' family festivity!? twice i was told not to let my daughter near the dog - "he's not good with kids" (and both times, the dog was *staring* at saari with lowered head, ears forward and rigid, tail up and stiff, hackles raised; one dog even had a front paw raised!). neither dog was muzzled and there were *many* little toddlers cruising around with their faces at the dog's height! (one dog was a purebred shepherd, the other was a yellow lab mix).
dandy's bestie of the day was a puppy mill rescue - the freakiest little .... um.... i dunno-what, but i think it was meant to be a yorkie. but the features were extremely exaggerated - the face was *very* pointed and the feathers flew out in very long, very straggly strings (they were told that's just how it's going to be unless they cut them down level with the rest of the fur which they didn't want to do because then he looked even wierder). he was the last one left from the 33 dogs rescued and nobody wanted him so this elderly disabled couple (he with a heart condition, she with a rolling walker) took him in. he and dandy got along so beautifully to the point that when dandy rolled over for a belly rub, so did Chauncy! everybody around was all "aaaaaaw!!!!!!".
it was heart-breaking to see what was happening with another of his besties, The Brown Dog Jiggs. jiggs is a smooth-coated collie with incredibly long, elegant lines - but he's suffering from cognitive dementia. he was neutered at 8wks before he was adopted out and i, personally, put the blame squarely on that. he still remembered dandy, though, and for a few minutes, we all watched him get young again - playing and romping and acting so goofy when a moment before, he was an old man frightened at all the confusion and the owner was telling me sadly that this was the last public event he would be present at because it was clearly too overwhelming for him.