No Longer an "Only Dog"

According to their descriptions on PetFinder, both my dogs would prefer to be the only dog in the home.

Sammy was for four and a half years.  And it worked.  She wasn't always the best around other dogs.

She didn't get along my my inlaw's old blue healer, but she loved their big husky puppy.  Probably because she could boss him around.  

There were a few dogs at the dog park that Sammy loved, and there were a few that didn't love her.  She just wanted to run... and run and run and run.  That little border collie was one of the few that could keep up with her little Whippet legs, and most of the rest just tried to sit it out.

But, Sammy is persistent.  She'd get in their faces and bark and bark and bark trying to convince someone to come run with her.  This was not an effective strategy for making friends. 

Some would cower and tremble, others would get pushed to the edge and snap at her.

Zorro also had a reputation of only getting along with "some" dogs.  We really weren't sure how they'd be together, but it works.

Maybe it's the years he's spent in a busy shelter that give him his patience, but when Sammy gets a little bossy, Zorro just ignores her with the highest state of apathy I've ever seen in a dog.

When I come home, Sammy runs and jumps and barks and jumps and barks and barks and barks.

Zorro lifts one eyelid and remains curled up on his favorite rug.

Sammy gets as close as she can to his ear and barks her message loud and clear for at least a solid minute. 

Zorro doesn't even seem to notice until I come over to scratch his ears.

They get along fine most of the time, but like a lot of siblings, they don't always like each other.  Sometimes we'll find them snuggled up together in the same dog bed.  Another time, Zorro looked at Sammy's denta-bone with longing eyes, so she growled and snapped and ended up grounded to her crate for a while.  She doesn't seem to know he's twice her size.  Neither does he.

But, so far the challenges of having one dog were far greater than the challenges of having two. 

They warned us about Zorro's anxiety toward visitors, but when he sees people-loving Sammy wag her tail and look for pets and scratches, he does, too.  Neglected as a puppy, Sammy hates to go outside when its cold or windy or raining, but she's not afraid when Zorro goes out with her.

There are definitely times I think both of them would still prefer to be an "only dog," but being a dog sibling seems to have its benefits, too!