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November 17, 2008

After Lilly and I walked up to the road to get our mail Saturday, we realized that our pals — Belle and Clyde — from down the valley had meandered their way into a neighbor’s back pasture and seemed a bit stuck. So, once again, I became happy, food lady to the rescue.

I ran back up and out our gate, leaving Lilly behind with her ball. I rang the neighbor’s door bell to let them know I was on their land, trying to convince the two wayward dogs to follow me home. With assistance getting into their “backyard,” I got Belle and Clyde away from the mules and up toward the road.

After a bit of romping and playing together, they indeed followed me back to the gate. Usually, I would get Lilly inside before allowing “strange” dogs onto our property, but it was cold, and I didn’t feel like running back to the house and out again. Plus, I had a couple hundred pounds of dog with momentum.

So, I clicked the gate open and let them in. TWO BIG dogs. Presto!

Lilly did her typical bossy, barking thing, but all in all … she did really well. Belle and Clyde are so strongly bonded that, honestly, they mostly ignored her.

When Belle did check Lilly out, you can see that Lilly wasn’t too sure about it, but she didn’t spin and snark, so that’s good.

(1) Belle, Clyde, Lilly Nov 15, 2008 (2)

Even though it was getting dark and was quite cold and windy, I stayed outside to keep an eye on their play. Sometimes, they poked around on their own.

(2) Belle, Clyde, Lilly Nov 15, 2008 (3)

Sometimes, Lilly followed Belle and Clyde like the little sister who cannot keep up. (I’m guessing that she was pretending to herd them since she kept weaving from side to side, like she was driving them forward.)

And, even though, Belle did spin around once and pretend to bite Lilly’s butt, after the bark-a-bark-a-bark machine would not stop, I think they all kind of like each other. (Belle wasn’t to hip to my photo arrangement plan to line all 3 up.)

(3) Belle, Clyde, Lilly Nov 15, 2008

After the near butt-nipping incident, I did put Lilly inside to give them all a break. Better to let a new friendship end on a mellow note than to let any tension build. Belle and Clyde live with two older Labs at home and have plenty of dog friends, so they are extremely tolerant of Lilly’s naturally bossy state.

The good news is that I got Belle and Clyde safely home just before dark. And, the bonus is that Lilly got an impromptu play date out of the deal.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. I just discovered your blog, and love it! I’ve got Danes, and my brother has two Border Collies. We keep them sometimes when they’re out of town, and his BCs always try to herd my Danes. I assume that they think they’re some sort of livestock! The Danes just ignore them though, MUCH to the frustration of the BCs.

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