I sound like a broken record, but we had another good day…and asked for new things from him.
Even though, today was great, the absolute best thing I get to report is that I’m told Sinatra is not going to the bathroom in his crate/run!!! It’s so awesome to love on a dry dog. Also, someone at Bark Avenue gave him a localized wipe down, so he’s not crunchy any more. I can’t wait for his stitches (from his neuter) to come out so he can have a full bath.
Anyway, on to our walk. Louie and I brought Scotch and Rou with us today. We did a full meet ‘n greet with Sinatra and Rou, which went well. Initially, his hair was up and his tail was high and wagging (not in a rigid wag). Still no growling, fortunately. Each dog licked the other’s lips a few times. We did a cursory meet and greet with Sinatra and Scotch. Scotch was in heel position on a sit with Louie, and Sinatra and I walked by closer and closer. We didn’t let them do any sniffing (baby steps for them). Sinatra avoided her almost completely, and she didn’t make much of an effort to sniff him either (though we were asking her for obedience). So, I walked Rou and Sinatra and Louie walked Scotch. Almost the entire time, Scotch was in front, followed by Rou and then Sinatra coming up the back. All three dogs were in pretty close proximity without incident. A few times Sinatra walked side-by-side with Rou, but mostly stayed at the back. There was even some incidental contact between the three with no problems.
Early in our walk, we passed a house with some little dogs barking from cages behind a fence. None of the dogs were the least bit interested. On the way back, at the same house, we were bum-rushed by two really fence aggressive dogs (afterward, my friend Debbie told me she crosses the street to avoid the dogs in this house). All three dogs were startled (as were Lou and I) and initially pulled toward the fence, but none barked or growled. I made sure Rou and Sinatra were separate, in case he (or even Rou for that matter) got worked up and redirected, but it never happened. Both were pretty responsive when I made a hard and fast 180 turn to cross the street. After we crossed and were waiting for Louie and Scotch to catch up to us, Sinatra stared at the wall, his head down and his back to the barking dogs across the street.
Also, we encountered a man watering his lawn with a hose. Scotch wanted a drink from the hose and the man nicely obliged. Rou, who likes to swim, hates hoses…as did Sinatra. He lowered his head and backed away from the man with the hose. Sinatra and Rou were quite the pair – two tough looking dogs trying to get as far away as possible from the water hose. Meanwhile, Scotch was biting the water stream, drinking and having the time of her life.
When we got back to Bark Avenue, we had the lobby to ourselves. All of the dogs got a drink and we just hung out for a bit. Sinatra tried to mount Rou a few times, but each time I told him no and pulled him off. Rou, of course, didn’t react at all, nor did he move away or alter his body position. Sinatra stopped trying after about four or five attempts. He also contemplated approaching Scotch, who was lying down, completely relaxed and exhausted. Sinatra cautiously made a wide circle toward her, sniffed the nearest item, looked at her briefly, then sniffed again. He never closed the distance completely (they were probably about 2-3 feet apart). Scotch lifted her head, looked at him and kind of leaned to sniff, but never got up.
It was hot, hot, hot today – by far the hottest day of the year – at least 87. For the first time, I saw Sinatra’s tongue hanging out (as were Scotch and Rou’s). At one point toward the end of our walk, Rou stopped to pee and Sinatra found a piece of shade and lay down. It was so cute. As soon as I said, “let’s go,” he was up and moving, but he was tired. All three dogs were completely spent after the 25-30 minute walk. Sinatra didn’t even look back when they led him back to his run, which is unusual.
He hasn’t pooped for me on-leash yet, but he’s usually pooped within a few hours of us going for a walk. In due time, I keep reminding myself.
As Louie tells it, he likes this dog stuff “in moderation.” I love him for supporting me on this and joining me on our walks.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
