Here's the situation: my youngest, Dinky, is a 1 1/2 yr old female that I found running the streets on a previous project. She's a sweet little girl, and she really listens to me and seems to want to please me whenever she can; you'd never guess she had such a rough beginning. Lately, though, she's been showing a lot of interest in another girl her age. "Lucy" is a Beagle female, who is very attractive and very popular and she knows it.

I'm concerned about Dinky's feelings towards Lucy. Is the fact that Dinky's mother was a Beagle a factor? (My vet's best guess is that her parents are Beagle / Dachshund, and all the Dachshunds we've met are either evasive or hostile, classic deadbeat dads!) I can't imagine the hurt Dinky feels at being abandoned at such an early age, and I don't want her making the mistake of trying to fill that hole in her heart with Lucy just because she's a Beagle.

I'm not worried about never having any grandpuppies; Dinky has been fixed. It seemed like the socially responsible thing to do, especially considering her early childhood. I feel bad that Dinky had no say in the matter, but that is the tough role of parenting, I suppose. No, Lucy being a female is not my issue; it is how she flaunts her appearance, showing off her full-blood status, her beautiful eyes, her speckled belly. Dinky is friendly, very friendly, but she won't let just any dog sniff her butt. Lucy, however, flops over and shows her belly at the first sniff. She seems a bit promiscuous, if you ask me.

I'm worried because Dinky is behaving differently. Normally, when we go for walks, she buries her nose in the grass or the leaves and somehow manages to come up with something to eat in her mouth, and I can never get it away in time. I usually can't even tell what she's eating, and I've learned not to examine the matter too closely (you only have to pluck cat poop out of your dog's mouth with your bare hand once, after all). I don't like it, because I try to provide good, nutritious meals for her, and foraging around in the yards of my neighborhood makes it seem like Dinky is starving; I blame it on her life on the street, scrounging for her every meal...but, when Dinky gets near Lucy's block, she stops sniffing around in the grass and starts pulling on her leash to get there faster.

Dinky never used to pull on her leash before she met Lucy. Well, okay, sure, if a rabbit or a squirrel or stray cat happened to be outside, or even a windblown leaf were to happen by, but for the most part, she loves going for walks alongside of me, sharing in the view as we go.

I'm worried that Lucy may be able to exert peer pressure on Dinky, get her to engage in risky behavior she might not have otherwise considered. I start thinking of fencing in the backyard whenever I imagine my little girl laying in some strange yard, belly to the sky, letting all the dogs sniff her at will. What could come next? Will she start barking at cars? Chewing my shoes?

If anyone has been in a similar situation, please, help me out. Is this a classic case of being the new girl on the block and wanting to have a popular friend, or is this...puppy love?

This is my youngest:

how is this in the dating thread

shouldnt it be in the pets thread? (is there a pets thread?)

It was an attempt at some light-hearted humor, but it has clearly fallen flat, and now I'm forever labeled "creepy cares-too-much-about-dog,-thinks-its-a-human-child guy".

Oh well. Dinky will always be happy to see me.

lol,, not at all

It may have just gone over my head,,,seemed like it was something a pet owner would ask their vet about,,


you arent creepy at all, its great to love our pets,,,

I grew up on a farm, we always had pets, all kinds of dogs and cats, usually big dog and barn cats.

Now that my kids are pretty much grown, I suddenly find this little dog, and it is like raising a baby all over again. She can't communicate with words, she depends on me to feed her and take care of her bathroom needs (at least, if I want to have some say in where she takes care of them, I do!) and she loves to snuggle and sleep.

She was my secret for the longest time...big, tough construction worker keeping a little dog...but I decided to bring her to work with me so she'd stop getting so anxious when I left. All the guys at work love her...she's just the happiest little dog in the world and she loves everybody.

It would be hard not to love her...she clearly adores people, wants nothing more in the world than to be near her people, in their laps or on their bed.

I think I'm a better person for having her around; I may have taken her off the streets, but she's made me smile so often I think I'm in her debt.

Sorry, can't get past the word Dinky at the moment.

Your post reminds me of a few times, when i've seen certain friends suddenly not being themselves. One has gone quieter (a former shadow of themselves). Obviously not all of my friends, but you probably get the picture. One of em, recently, in fact, yesterday, if i remember rightly. He has a good heart. And a KIND heart. His hurtful comments are just a cover-up, or rather his disorder playing up. I wish people out there knew he had it. Would just help to explain why he gets urges to shout things. When HE's not being his loud self, it's then that i start to worry. This guy is way more of a loud person than i ever could be. People can tell when i'm not being myself, cos i go quiet and stop cracking jokes, and i stop being creative. I'm just saying that you noticed you're dog suddenly behaving differently, so that must be enough of a concern. So that just goes to show something may have affected it's confidence, me thinks. I'd ask a vet though, for advice, basically.

But isn't my Dinky adorable? Don't you want to rub and pet my Dinky?

No?

Oh well. Guess I'll sit at home and play with my Dinky all alone.

I think clearly you are not able to cope with Dinky properly, not giving her enough unconditional love, and you should send her to me immediately.

NEVER!

While I occasionally feel a bit guilty for having the World's Most Adorable Dog all to myself, I really can't afford to take her on the worldwide adoration tour she deserves, and I'm not willing to part from her.

So.

Plastic spoons at twenty paces?

What's going to be in the spoons? Are we flipping them or throwing them? I'll need to practice.

Actually, my cat has reminded me of just HOW miserable she can make my life if a dog should show up in HER territory.

i ain't throwing no food anywhere. If i want a food fight, i'll send out memo's. lol

It's not much different for dogs. I rescued a kitten just a couple of months ago, and Dinky gives me the most pathetic looks if I pet that kitty. Then she promptly wriggles into the lap space the kitty was in.