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I’ve blogged before about my neighbor’s dogs, the ones she lets roam free through the neighborhood. Sometimes I see them in our yard. Yesterday while I was working, I noticed one of them, the tan one, out the window. I went outside to greet it, as I always do whenever I see any of the neighborhood pets. They all, cats and dogs included, run away from me.
This dog did the usual, but I thought of something: I called for it to come here. I didn’t think it was a dangerous dog, because our neighbor said he isn’t. He also always runs away whenever he sees people. But this time, he came loping toward me when I called.
He was such a sweetheart. He loved the idea of being petted. He did try to jump on me in his excitement, but he got down upon being prompted “no.” He’s just such a goofy, happy dog. He likes to bound around in circles, and he’s very happy about being petted.
Then I got what was perhaps a bad idea (though it all worked out just fine). I thought I would bring Chihiro outside and see what she would do. Chihiro always gets worked up when she sees strange dogs in the yard, and I can understand why. She barks her shrill bark and all the hair sticks up along her spine.
I know Chihiro isn’t comfortable around other dogs. She’d be at her worst when she believes they’re encroaching in her territory. But such confrontations are always better outside. I thought that perhaps if she gets to know this dog, she can be friendlier with it, and perhaps less jumpy overall.
I put Chihiro on her leash so that she couldn’t chase the other dog. By the time Chihiro and I got outside the dog was part of the way down our driveway, but he came bouncing back (I’ve decided to dub this dog Tigger) when I called him. Chihiro barked, but I quieted her.
Tigger seemed even less certain of Chihiro than she was of him, even though he’s a lot bigger than her. He really wanted me to pet him, but he didn’t want to go near Chihiro. If she got too close to him, he would dance just a few paces out of her reach, putting me between the two of them.
Still, the two dogs got in a couple good sniffs of each other, even if that’s all that they did. I like to think that if Tigger comes back in the yard, he can have more positive experiences with Chihiro. I’m not entirely sure what I’m trying to achieve; I’d love it if Chihiro could get along better or even be playful again other dogs, or at least less fearful of them.
I hope this won’t be the last time we’ll see Tigger in our yard, though based on prior experience I know it’ll probably be a while until he comes by again. Even if he and Chihiro never become friends, maybe he and I can do so.
Related Articles:
How Not to Approach a Strange Dog
If A Dog Is Aggressive Towards You
Teach Your Dog to Leave It: Other Animals
Canine Aggression Linked to Leash Walking
How Daylight Savings Affects Animals
*(The above image by Enokson is licensed under the Creative Commons 2.5 Attribution License).