The Pack: Half the Testosterone; Double the Fun

Orley emailed me a note about dangerous dogs this morning. If I can figure out how to include it in this post I will.

Okay, here goes ...


Not for the squeamish!
Subject: Dogs Attack Florida Alligator

Dog Pack Attacks Gator in Florida

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.

The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator", can still fall victim to implemented ' team work ' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and "survival of the pack mentality" bred into the canines.

See the remarkable photograph below courtesy of Nature Magazine. Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.














Not for the squeamish! But I figured you could handle it.

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Last night Kenya and I were both exhausted. We curled up on the couch at 6 and watched The Company. (If you like dance, you will love this movie.) Then we escaped to the bathroom and I sank into a tub full of hot water with goat's milk goodies in it, turned on the jets and forgot about male dogs for a while. Kenya drowsed nearby. Then all five of us went to bed. Kenya was beside my bed. Shea was on the blue dog pillow. Teddy was on Kenya's fleecy bed. Havoc was on top of my duvet. We slept till Carlos set off the alarm of four barking dogs at 9:30.

I made a pot of green tea flavoured with jasmine and we chatted while we drank it. Then Carlos left with his pack and I went back to bed with my diminished pack and slept till almost 6 a.m.

I won't take on three male dogs at a time again ... just too much testosterone. If I am dog sitting a female, Shea and Teddy are welcome ... and they are always welcome when I just have Kenya. Kenya is part of their pack and has been since puppyhood, but since I have been dog sitting, Kenya has been forming other alliances and the puppies we sit are her pack members. Because she is the dominant dog, she seems able to handle problems between the puppies as a mother would, but even with them, she is sometimes at a loss, and turns to me for guidance when they ignore her maternal admonitions.

Her behaviour yesterday ... remaining outside and entertaining one male dog at a time ... had something to do with her mixed loyalties, I think. She seems genuinely confused and helpless when two of the dogs she likes get into it. She growls and wants it to end, but cannot take sides, because in her original pack, Shea is dominant. It is easier to stay out in the cold away from the turmoil, and when she is indoors, to retreat into her crate or to become my shadow. More and more, she lets me take care of disputes.

I am not always sure with Shea that I can handle things. I am not sure he wouldn't bite a hand that got in between him and another dog. I don't think it would be intentional but I wouldn't like to try to separate two large snarling male dogs bare handed.

When Havoc, Kenya, or Remi go too far and I have to intervene, I grab a collar. I can't do that with Shea. He doesn't wear a collar indoors and he is too strong for me to pull him away from something he wants. And it won't be long before Havoc is too much male dog to handle when he is angry.

Today will be a recuperative day. My biggest responsibility will be to keep the bird feeders full. Ten pine grosbeaks came to the feeder this morning. Ten!

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I drove over to get Remi at noon and brought him back here to play with Havoc and Kenya on the ice. After half an hour even the well- furred dogs were ready to come in, eat a cookie, and play in front of the wood stove. I will return Remi when it is time to collect today's mail. This photo is of Remi and Havoc being boys beside my desk.







It has been a truly decadent day. I finished watching We Don't Live Here Anymore this morning and may watch Dogville this afternoon and evening. It is a three hour movie. I wonder if it is about dogs. The dogs love it when they see and hear dogs in movies. They perk right up!