Little and Large.

I’ve mentioned before that we have never seen so many dogs in one vicinity as there are here, and I am getting to know (and getting known by) them all.
Isn’t it funny that dogs know which is the biscuit pocket with no clues from you?
Hubby and I stopped carrying biscuits as Maggie was more interested in shoving her nose against the pocket than watching where she was going and bumped into a lamp post or pole at least twice, but more worryingly, stepped out into the road without stopping.
We seem to go in cycles here though, one day seeing mainly spaniels or shih tzus, then the next collies, labradors, GSDs, jack russells, boxers, westies, greyhounds or whippets.

Today I met the dog that lives behind us.
She’s a three year old rottweiller cross mastiff, cocoa brown in colour and solid muscle.
It was very apparent she was used to people when she tugged her owner towards me in greeting, one of these dogs with the thought process of ‘If in doubt, sit, then they’ll fuss me’ kind of thing.
She has a very sad story though insomuch as she and her siblings had been abandoned by their rotti mother and were taken into animal care at four weeks.
It would appear that some dogs do not make good parents, and I remember my niece had a pair of rottweillers, leaving them unattended when the bitch was in season.
Result was 8 puppies, two of which were stillborn, a further two smothered by their Mum before they opened their eyes and the remaining four hand reared as she showed no interest in them. Only two survived to sale, the male was moved on to another family and the bitch died about four years ago aged 9.

This beautiful dog is fine with people and children, but terrified of other dogs, though the owner is working on it.
She has tried puppy classes, socialising programmes, and introducing the dog to friends and family that have dogs, but hers will bolt and hide under the table or nearest chair.
She said she can’t let the dog off the lead, even on the beach, in case another dog approached it and she ran off. Being a cross of two large breeds, many people especially non-dog owners, could be afraid if it ran towards them and react in panic.

Naturally on learning this, Hubby kept Maggie away.
If nothing else, we understand and would rather let the dog come to us in their own time than push the issue for making a fuss and ruin any training or progress it may have been making, which is why we always ask first.
As we were chatting on the pavement, a lady who we’d met up with when we started our walk passed by with her little Westie. Maggie had been quite sociable (for a change!) but we didn’t push our luck knowing she can be a bit twitchy if the other dog comes up on her blind side.
I watched with interest as the bigger dog inched closer to her owner, but allowed the little dog to sniff her. It was short lived though as the larger one’s hackles went up and she backed off to get away.

So far we have come across several dogs a little nervy of people, and so far, they have all come up to me eventually. One woman was quite surprised as she said her dog NEVER approached strangers,  yet I was permitted a full belly rub when it rolled over at my feet!

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