August 22

For the last week or so, I have been dog sitting for a friend. So
besides having Annabelle and her puppies, we have had a "rental" dog
here named Saki. Plus our two cats. Yeah, 13 pets is insanity! But
everyone seems to get along well

Saki has a lot of experience being with all sorts of dogs, so it is
interesting watching her interact with the family.

When Saki first got here, she went for Annabelle's food bowl.
Annabelle quickly let Saki know that we don't poach Mama's food.
Annabelle was glad to share her bed with Saki, but the occassional toy
or food item would cause Annabelle to send out a clear warning growl.
99% of the time the girls got along like peas and carrots, but
especially with food, at first, Annabelle started to show the
beginnings of guarding behavior that I will have to nip in the bud.

Since Annabelle didn't want to play with Saki, Saki had no choice but
to try to get the puppies to play with her. The first night Saki was
here, she let the puppies crawl under her for a sniff. The puppy found
something to suckle on between her legs. Saki didn't much care for
that. After she recovered from that trauma, Saki would play bow to
encourage the pups to play with her. The pups would stop what they
were doing not sure of what Saki wanted. Then Saki would commence
running in a circle around them for a couple of minutes. The pups
didn't seem to understand the game, but Saki seemed to get tired out
and that is good.

Reply |Bekkah Hackett
show details 9:18 AM (19 minutes ago)


By this weekend, however the dynamics between Saki and the brood here
had changed dramatically. Annabelle was willing to share anything she
had with Saki. Currently Annabelle is still being free fed so she
doesn't lose any more weight. Now when Saki would approach Annabelles
food bowl, Annabelle would come running over to me for a treat. Today
I noticed Annabelle dragging her food bowl to wherever Saki was. She
would then come to me as to say, "Look Mom, I am sharing!" Saki would
just seem confused, but she has learned not to ignore "delivery food"
and would eat a few bites.

As for the puppies, they are all further developing their little
personalities. Saki really seems to be enjoying playing with Troy and
Charlotte. They are willing to venture out further into the back yard
so a good game of chase can get going. Toledo is definitely developing
a mischevious streak. Saki has a sore spot on her tail and Toledo has
mastered to art of finding that *one* spot that Saki doesn't want
chewed on. Victoria will try to cuddle with anyone and a few times I
have watched her snuggle with Saki when Annabelle was otherwise
occupied. Our three Texas boys - Austin, Dallas, and Houston - have
mastered the art of sitting back and watching the madness ensue. If
all of the dogs are outside, they will find a spot in the shade, line
up and watch their siblings play with Saki or roll around in the
grass. When the rest of the puppies start to tire out, all three will
try to take Saki on at once. Romeo is just now starting to warm up to
Saki, so they haven't had much in the way of playing together. Though
Romeo keeps trying to steal Saki's rope bone whenever she lays down
for a good chewing. Phoenix, the runt, is hanging back. Right now he
is the Mama's boy.