This is a tale of two tails. As I have said before, I have never been an animal lover and have never had pets. As a result of this fact, I am learning new things everyday that are fascinating to me. Bear with me.
Our first puppy, Ranger, is a very serious herding dog. He is a lanky eighty pounds at six months of age, and he is very opinionated. He "herds" us around with pushes and nips. He has never been incredibly affectionate, but does love a good belly rub in the morning. When he has had enough, however, he will nip at you as if to say, "Thank you for the belly rub. Time for you to head back inside now."
Our second puppy, Honey, is not a herding dog. She is a smaller sixty pounds that is "round and firm and fully packed" (to use one of my mom's expressions) and is about nine months old. She is a lover. She wags her entire back half of her body when she sees us. She is content to sit at my feet and be still. She spends a portion of each day in Harland's office at his feet. She is always watching the windows and doors to catch a glimpse of us and wag her tail.
The two did not mesh well the first couple of days after Honey came home from the shelter. We would allow them to be together for a little bit then separate them for a while. They are both a little pushy and each of them would like to be in charge. The vet recommended that we walk them together in our "herd" with them on leash next to each other beside us with kids in front. The walks have been entertaining to say the least. They would each like to be in front of the other-- even if just by a nose-length.
After about four days, Ranger seemed to realize that she was staying, and he decided to tolerate her. They seem to love being together now. They still wrestle and chase each other and bite, but their tails are wagging the whole time. She is helping the tall and awkward giant to run faster and to be a bit more agile. She leaps him in a single bound and then runs under his belly. The game of choice this morning was tug-of-war with a rope toy.
The vet told us to tell Ranger that Honey was his to protect. I felt a little silly telling a dog that. But, I did it, and he heard me. He waits for her if she falls behind him on a walk. He comforts her if she is scared (of cows, for instance) by putting his head on her neck and standing close to her. It is pretty cool to watch. Silly, I am sure to people who know about animals, but really cool to me.
As we walked last night and were almost back to the house, the sometimes seemingly grouchy herding dog/ guard dog was hard at work. Happy Honey and the rest of us walked along leisurely, and he saw something over the hill in the field across from our house. He stopped and would not move and barked and growled, and he wasn't joking. We believed him, and we all walked the rest of the way home with haste. We did not see what it was, but I have no doubt there was something there. It could have easily been a coyote, a bear, or a mountain lion. We got him home and praised and praised him for being our guard. He was wound up for an hour or so, then he snuggled up to his Honey on the porch and continued his all-night guarding duty.
Who knew that dogs have personalities and jobs much like people do? OK- I had heard it but never seen it before. I am thankful for the chance to learn the lessons I am learning every day about the world around me and about myself. The quietness and beauty and the time to notice things has been priceless.
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life."
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