February 16, 2012

White Dog sighed, hopped down, and went over to "talk" to Quinn. Seems somewhere in the night our gentle soul was bitten by the bully bug. He was spending the day so far throwing his weight around and being pushy. White Dog has no patience for any of the Army nosing another out of their kibble bowl or hip checking the others just to get in their way. She reminded TOWD of that.

The Other White Dog is usually the first to see the wisdom in backing away from confrontation. Quinn, normally the peacekeeper, was today agitating everyone he passed. Using momma instincts I checked to see if he was in pain...nope. Was he sick?...no temperature, clear eyes, pulse normal. Appetite was good. Our routine was normal and environment unchanged. And yet...

One of the favorite games of domination played at the White Dog Ranch is "Gatekeeping." Our old home is a warren of doorways and hallways. If a White One positions himself, or herself this is not just a boy game, just so across a doorway or lies to barricade the hall, he controls access to part of the house. The others cannot get by unless the gatekeeper lets them pass or that pup is brave enough to push through. YoYoMa is the master of this game, but today Quinn with position and his low-throated "I mean it" growls was convincing enough that no one would call his bluff. Several times one or another of the WDA pranced up to me with an urgent look...and I had to go roust TOWD from the passage to the dog door.

White Dog at first accepted the game and showed off her problem-solving skills...she simply lept over the prone boy. The others, not so nimble, could not follow her lead. She then tried reasoning with TOWD and called on his normal diplomacy but today he was a stubborn brat. YoYoMa started getting mad and the macho level quickly rose between the two; fortunately Yo was more motivated by treats than testosterone today or it might have gotten ugly.

In some ways it is comforting to see our always perfectly behaved gentleman get a bit fiesty, as long it does not become a habit. But White Dog has decreed that Quinn and dad on "boyz night" can no longer hang with YoYoMa to watch van Damme movies.