August 4, 2020

White Dog nodded. "It takes a day like this to make you realize just how far Roman has come," she said. "He handled both situations with thought instead of instant reaction; and clearly his objective was diffuse what could have been an overload event for all involved."

This morning after breakfast the White Dog Army was milling about the kitchen gate. Roman found himself trapped between the sofa and Tizenegy with no exit available because the others surrounded them. Tizenegy started panic barking at Roman who pressed himself against the couch. Tiz made a step in an effort to turn around; Roman misinterpreted it to be aggression. Roman bared his teeth.

In the past this "warning" would have instantly been followed by a pre-emptive attack. "Roman," I said calmly from across the room, "Up. You are safe if you get on the sofa." My reactive boy lifted his head, looked me in the eye, and gracefully jumped on the furniture then settled into a pose of nonaggression. This break in the action allowed Steve to get to Tiz and lead him from the crowd.

"Bravo, Buddy! That was awesome! You handled that like a pro." I sang My Boy's praises.

Later, Roman slept in the bedroom where I worked on the computer. He rested his head on the rubber ramp that leads to the dog door and his position blocked egress.

Opal pranced back and forth in front of me several times before I finally "got it" that she was trying to tell me she needed to go out. My Sparkling Girl is a lady of routine; she will not go outside through the kitchen door. If she feels trapped she will as a last resort use the scatter rug in the living room doorway. "Hold on thirty more seconds,let me see what I can do," I told her.

Gently I called Roman's name until I saw his ear twitch. "Come on. Rome, Opal needs to go out. Will you go rest in Zsofia's bed?" Opal did not look hopeful. Steve called from the office asking whether we needed him to lure Roman away.

I turned back to the dog flap and saw Roman stepping into the big open crate. The exit was free. "Go on, Opal, he will wait for you to get done and come back in." And sure enough, he did; she shot him a grateful look as she passed. "You are so very smart," I complimented. "that was a kind thing to do."