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We have two dogs at our house, and they run the roost. (Blush.) Jake is thirteen, a Doberman/blue heeler mix that came into my life with Jerry. Sally, a nearly-three poodle/ cocker, is our newer addition. We love them both and try to be diplomatic about treats. Jake is highly food-motivated, and Sally doesn’t much care except when we’re out walking. She always comes running for a treat when I call her on the trail. Well, unless there’s another dog.
I walk the dogs every morning and Jerry skis with them most afternoons (cross-country). Sally has developed an endearing behavior of keeping pace between Jerry’s legs when he skis. Actually, she does it with whoever’s in the lead when we ski together (usually Jerry). Lucky she’s small—a mere 13 pounds. My friend Annie says it feels like having cotton balls between your ankles. When you look down, all you see is her little black nose as she keeps pace. It’s darned cute.
She ventures out, though, when we meet another dog on the ski trail. She and Jake both love to do the little meet-and-greet of butt sniffing and running in circles then join back up with Jerry (or whoever has them out). We like to think they’re under control, but we worry about aggressive dogs. So far, so good.
Well, until last weekend.
Jerry was skiing with the dogs at Washington Pines when Sally ran up to yip at the wrong dog. It attacked her viciously. Though the dog was leashed, her owner couldn’t pull her off. Jerry panicked at Sally’s frantic screams and finally managed to separate the dogs. The owner felt terrible, as did Jerry (and Sally, for that matter). When they got home, she could hardly walk, her shoulder was swollen, and she yelped whenever we touched her leg. Poor thing. She was droopy all night, and we did our best to be careful with her. If she didn’t improve, we’d get her to the vet.
Well, lo and behold, the next morning she was absolutely fine. In fact, she gleefully went skiing with Jerry that afternoon. We’re trying to figure out if there’s a way, we could keep her on a leash as we ski, but it’s probably more risky than another dog fight. I don’t much want to be caught in a tangle of skis, poles, dog, and leash.
Bottom line here, I guess, is that our little beasties mean the world to us, even the aggressive ones. Maybe a muzzle is the answer, or keeping aggressive dogs away from areas where other dogs run loose.
What I know well is that pets are good for us. They’re great company, they get us out for exercise, and they get our stress-relieving endorphins moving when we pet and play with them. Studies have shown that dog ownership is associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of mortality compared to non-ownership. In fact, dog ownership accounts for 31 percent less risk of cardiovascular death. Amazing.
We’re relieved that Miss Sally bounced back so quickly from her trauma. My previous dog, Libby, was attacked by a cat on our first week in Turkey, and she had a conflicted relationship with cats from that day on. She either cowered or chased, depending on each cat’s attitude. Hopefully Sally has learned that same lesson.
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