I didn’t enjoy the dynamics of Stormy, Blondie and Owl as much as I did Stormy, Blondie and Bonita. The biggest difference is once Blondie accepted that Bonita’s presence didn’t mean less for Blondie, she wasn’t still posturing and threatening. Stormy bites and bullies Owl regularly. The male breeding imperative or as a human male I know once put it, “Be afraid; be very afraid.”
Blondie and Stormy taught Bonita each day; it was fun to see. Blondie teaches Owl. I see them hunting on the side of the hill. He does very well with the gimpy rear leg even when they wrestle and chase around the house. Stormy comes up to stop the fun. Blondie always sides with Storm turning on Owl.
Blondie has taught Owl the art of rat hunting. He has that sporting dog eagerness for the hunt. That group has far more virtues than I realized. You can see him thinking as he chases his prey. Some dogs just seem to make a mad dash. The dogs hunt and kill rats, whether they eat them or not. The dogs brought us a couple this week.
The trio acts like a pack at the doggy meet and greets. They seem to back each other up. Owl and Blondie back Stormy. Both boys bolster Blondie’s status. Owl just stays behind the two; he’s just there to learn. I have a feeling, if he were to make a mistake pissing off a dog at the get together; he might be on his own. That could change.
Watching the neighborhood meet and greets makes me think; all that is left of this ritual for pet dogs is the information they leave in scent marks. Wow, I always thought that the scent marking WAS the deal. I realize now that it’s more like an outdoor assembly hall, where messages are left.
Next breeding season Owl will migrate to where the bitches’ pungent odor calls. In the last five years, I’ve seen a fair number of dogs float past.
It’s taken that long for me to see loving dogs as the archetypal predator. Even the abandoned pets like Owl learn to survive, when they hook up with the savvier satos.
Seeing how the feral dogs survive, I have new respect for our fox and coyotes back in Illinois.
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