II Zoe and Kate
Click here to read Part I
Click here to read Part I
Nicole came to the rectory today to help with paperwork, and she
brought along Kate, her four-year old daughter. We expected a repeat of
the same kind of trouble Kate endured a few months ago, when my Lab,
Zoe, utterly dominated the child, taking toys away from her, and food
right out of her mouth. This time, Nicole said, “I brought no toys.
And no food. I brought a video.”
As we began to work on the dining room table, Kate made herself at home on the sofa, with a notebook computer playing some kind of strange and reasonably quiet video. Moses looked around, but decided to bed down near my feet, under the table. Zoe eyed Kate, and wondered why there were no toys, and no food. So what did Zoe do? She walked up to the sofa, grabbed the notebook computer in her jaws, and dragged it on the floor. Kate screamed, and the computer broke. Well, that is not really what happened. Zoe saw Kate watching the movie, and left her alone. In fact, Zoe stayed near Kate in a sisterly way.
After a while, with Kate standing near us as we did a little housework, Nicole asked Kate if Zoe is a bad dog. Kate said, “This not bad dog, this good dog.” What a change! Only a few weeks ago, Zoe had Kate screaming and crying. Now, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Kate found a companion in black-haired, brown-eyed, muscular Zoe. The two girls bonded. Nicole explained: “When Kate first came here, Zoe was afraid that Kate would become your little girl. She’s not afraid of that now.”
When Nicole and I got up to plant a few Russian Mammoth sunflower seedlings on the west edge of my garden, Kate came along. And so did Zoe. To my amazement, as Kate walked down the stairs to head towards the garden, Zoe did not nudge past her and shove her aside to show her dominance, and to lead the way. On the contrary, Kate walked slowly down the flight of stairs, with Nicole holding her hand, and Zoe stayed right behind Kate’s legs, but not shoving in her usual way. I was surprised at my alpha female dog being so respectful of the lovely child.
As we began to work on the dining room table, Kate made herself at home on the sofa, with a notebook computer playing some kind of strange and reasonably quiet video. Moses looked around, but decided to bed down near my feet, under the table. Zoe eyed Kate, and wondered why there were no toys, and no food. So what did Zoe do? She walked up to the sofa, grabbed the notebook computer in her jaws, and dragged it on the floor. Kate screamed, and the computer broke. Well, that is not really what happened. Zoe saw Kate watching the movie, and left her alone. In fact, Zoe stayed near Kate in a sisterly way.
After a while, with Kate standing near us as we did a little housework, Nicole asked Kate if Zoe is a bad dog. Kate said, “This not bad dog, this good dog.” What a change! Only a few weeks ago, Zoe had Kate screaming and crying. Now, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Kate found a companion in black-haired, brown-eyed, muscular Zoe. The two girls bonded. Nicole explained: “When Kate first came here, Zoe was afraid that Kate would become your little girl. She’s not afraid of that now.”
When Nicole and I got up to plant a few Russian Mammoth sunflower seedlings on the west edge of my garden, Kate came along. And so did Zoe. To my amazement, as Kate walked down the stairs to head towards the garden, Zoe did not nudge past her and shove her aside to show her dominance, and to lead the way. On the contrary, Kate walked slowly down the flight of stairs, with Nicole holding her hand, and Zoe stayed right behind Kate’s legs, but not shoving in her usual way. I was surprised at my alpha female dog being so respectful of the lovely child.
