New Friend

Mom went over to a friend's home to help her put a crochet edging on a blanket. Her friend surprised her by inviting us to come with her. She packed us up and put us in the car and we got to enjoy a really big backyard and make friends with Otis her 13 year old Golden.

Otis and I became very good friends. He showed me his yard and he was quite the gentleman. Annie has a wonderful time running around the yard chasing squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters. She was exhausted at the end of the day. We went inside to rest a few times and Mom left our leashes on in case we decided not to behave in a stranger's home and were hard to catch. She said something about a greased pig, but I'm not sure what she could have meant by that.

However, as you can see I was taking no chances. I really like Otis and I want to be invited back again. I wasn't taking any chances of Annie getting into trouble while we were in the house. Therefore, I sat right down on her leash, literally keeping her on a short leash during our time in the house. Yes, I did this more than once. You have to keep the young ones under control.

The Doggy Stalkers

Bailey was an only doggy child for many years. His best friend was a black lab who was considerably older than he was and they would spend hours together. Bailey would run and play showing off while the older dog watched in amusement. He lost his friend about a year before Katy came to us. Bailey did not handle the only dog status as well after that.

Our new neighbor got a lab puppy last spring. Bailey was so happy. He wanted to make friends and soon became a dog stalker. If the dog was out, Bailey wanted to be out. He would stick his nose under the fence desperate to catch any notice of the dog.

This was one of the reasons we realized Bailey needed a friend. We applied for a rescue dog and Katy came to live with us. The two became fast friends and I thought the doggy stalking issue was solved.

In the beginning, Katy was terrified of the Lab next door. His loud bark would send her running for the porch. Now she too has fallen under his spell and has become a doggy stalker.

Yesterday we realized the winter has eroded some of the dirt from under the fence and Katy has discovered she can get more of her snout under the fence than Bailey can. Our dogs have become like crazed fans trying to catch a glimpse of a favorite star.

Our neighbors are great people and we do not want them to find our dogs annoying. Controlling this obsession is a priority. I cannot help but thinking this is my sister's revenge for not having teenage daughters.