My dogs

I posted a photo of Mona, my border collie, keeping track of Blackie, the chicken that thinks it is a dog. Blackie comes when I call the dogs and tries to follow them into the house. She once stood up to Mona, giving her a directed flap: wings spread, lunging. I reinforced that and told Mona to back off. Every once in awhile, Mona will get a big grin on her face and stalk and pounce at the chickens. She loves to make them flap. Immediately she looks away and comes over looking guilty, but not sorry. She just likes to raise a flap.

We have another dog right now, Daphne. Little Dafodil. She is a pit bull mix with the softest heart, afraid of linoleum floors. We call her Daffy, too. After raising a border collie, Daphne was a little dense (in more ways than one). Actually, the most dangerous thing about her is the potential for being bonked by her hard, hard head. Her tail is thick and meaty, and will make your leg sore when she wags her tail and it hits you. Otherwise, she's not that big. Just 50 pounds or so.I took Daphne home from the Off Leash Area when she was 11 weeks old. A man was giving her away, along with 8 siblings. I could tell what a great dog she was, with symmetrical features, beautiful markings, a sound physique, and young enough to not have any problems yet. I picked the smallest of the litter, the one that was most wiggly and lickey like a border collie. I figured I would spay her, train her and find her a new home. We wavered back and forth on that, but now I seem to have found a suitable new home for her. I was able to see Daphne's parents because I took a woman to go get one of the other pups. The sire was a huge, friendly, light brown brindle pit bull who was tethered in the back yard. The dam was a large black vicious herding mix. Obviously she was not being treated too well. Daphne displays some herding instinct, crouching down to stalk dogs she is playing with. Being raised by a border collie, she has a lot more respect for personal space than most pit mixes. I have kept on top of her indoors training, making sure she does not step on toes or beg at the table. I used to a do a lot of training with her (stays, recall, etc) but since I was laid off, I can't justify the time spent on her. I haven't been keeping up on Mona's training either. But Daphne has a solid foundation of conditioning, and I am eager to help a new owner pick up the tricks I use and the language Daf knows. She's a great dog and I hope to keep in touch with her.

I posted some ads mentioning a dog-share idea. I got flamed a bit, but also had a radio interview as a result. One woman told me it was unhealthy for the dog. I disagree. My experience is that dogs are flexible, just like people. Some kids grow up and do just fine with two homes and different rules at mom and dad's houses. Similarly, I find that the dogs we once lived with as roommates are happy to come stay with us when their owners are out of town. My ex husband's dog still fits right into the pack even though we only see him occasionally. It is like extended family. You pick up right where you left off, and so long as there is stability in the primary relationship, the dog is not at all confused.

In fact, When my ex went to live in Chehalis and could not take his dog, I had the dog for a few months. My ex lamented that he didn't seem like his dog anymore. But when he got a place where he could have his dog, the transition went seamlessly. Now the dog (Tucker) still obeys me but looks primarily to his owner even when they are here for the weekend. we have an extended pack, and I enjoy providing support for responsible owners. Everyone needs a break sometimes, and some freedom to travel.

Here is a photos of all three dogs taken in April. You can see Mona is aloof and busy while Daphne and Tucker play together. Tucker is amazingly beautiful and soft, with excellent manners. I call him our friendly dog. Total chick magnet.