Tales of an urban dog mom, now in black and white
By Christie Keith
September 3, 2008
I’ve just finished one of the most horrible periods of writer’s block I’ve ever had.
Well, the writer’s block might not be finished, but I got the article completed, albeit a day late, which is very much not like me. It’s my piece on the foreclosure crisis and pets, and it will be on SFGate.com in the morning. Either Gina or I will link up when it’s live, and I’ll share a few items from the cutting room floor during the day tomorrow. I also plan on torturing regaling you with my thoughts on what makes a sighthound a sighthound, prompted by a question in the endless “DNA” thread about coursing and non-sighthounds.
But first, this. I just got back from walking my dogs. The first post-deadline walk is always a long one for me, and a great way to detox from stress. Kyrie has become far less reactive to other dogs while she’s on leash the longer we’ve lived in the City, and doesn’t stiffen or bark when she sees them anymore. Tonight she seemed very interested in a Border Collie who was at the far end of a very long meadow, and I had to really work to get her to turn and go the other way.
She kept staring at him, but in a very happy, friendly, almost excited way. I couldn’t figure it out, because none of my friends has a Border Collie, and I’ve had her since she was a puppy, and as far as I know, she’s never seen one before, let alone been friends with one.
Then it hit me. Kyrie didn’t know he was a Border Collie. She thought he was a very short Borzoi.
Oh yeah - Papillons find themselves strangely drawn to Border Collies, too!
http://www.braylorspapillons.c.....llie20.jpg
Comment by The OTHER Pat — September 3, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
I got VPI Pet Insurance as a gift for my daughter that had adopted a stray. I purchased the best policy based on all the website information. VPI is now refusing to pay expenses based on a policy exclusion - which, as the purchaser of the gift, I was not privy to and was not listed on their website as a categorical exclusion. I also believe that just saving the money to pay for the services might have been a better option for me in the long run.
Comment by Barbara — September 4, 2008 @ 8:42 am
My sister’s Boston terrier is absolutely fascinated with Boxers - which makes sense when you think that a boxer is essentially the super-model version of a boston terrier: taller and curvier.
Comment by puppynerd — September 4, 2008 @ 8:59 am
That’s so funny. It’s kind of sad too - makes you think there is a part of our dogs that is always searching for their pack members, in a world full of alien beings (you know - pugs, poodles, republicans and other forms of clearly alien beings…)
Comment by Alison — September 4, 2008 @ 11:25 am
It’s an interesting thing to consider, as regards Kyrie.
I got her at 7 weeks old. I’d normally never get a puppy so young, but I’d had a singleton litter, and her breeder “lent” her to me to raise with him so he wouldn’t be weird and abnormal, LOL. I fell in love with her and ended up keeping her.
As far as I can remember, she was the only black and white puppy in her litter. I don’t think her mama was black and white either, although it was nearly ten years ago and I no longer remember.
Her entire life she’s been in a pack of deerhounds, plus two mixed breed dogs and some cats. Although I showed her a bit as a puppy and took her coursing a couple of times, she really never saw other Borzois.
So I can only assume it’s some kind of breed memory, or maybe her mother was black and white, or some other dogs at her breeder’s house, or she’s seen herself in a mirror.
Whatever it was, her reaction to that BC was totally atypical for her. I’d love to get inside her mind and know for sure!
Comment by Christie Keith — September 4, 2008 @ 12:37 pm