Dogarazzi: Week 45

While JG and I were at his parents’ house over the weekend, Ted enjoyed the fenced-in area around the in-ground pool immensely. He chased after pool golf balls, lounged under our lounge chairs, and became my father-in-law’s shadow during chores like cleaning out the filter. When there was a lull in the action, and everyone was too busy reading or napping to give him active attention, Ted stared at the pool as though in deep thought. We joked that he was considering taking the plunge, but he never dove in on his own. Terriers are more suited to digging and burrowing (the breed name comes from terra, earth), but it’s not out of the ordinary for them to take to water. Call it pursuing a scientific experiment, catering to our own amusement, or taking advantage of the dog, but JG decided to see how Ted managed in the water.

JG sat on the steps of the pool and lowered Ted onto the first step, where the water came halfway up his legs. Ted was tentative at first, and he didn’t make much noise or move too quickly, except for a few curtailed sips at the chlorinated water. Eventually, the shock wore off and he flashed a big, goofy grin. My best guess is that, since Ted does not like hot weather, he realized that the water cooled him off, and was not all that frightening.

Then, in the second step of the experiment, JG nudged Ted out into the open sea. I witnessed a moment of panic, flailing, and splashing, and JG grabbed Ted and plopped him back on the concrete platform. Ted skittered away and shook out his coat, as though peeved to be subjected to the indignity of being tossed into the pool. He recovered nicely and spent the rest of the day playing, but JG firmly believes that if he had been able to go into the water with Ted, there might not have been so much panic. I’m sure there is another experiment in the works to confirm or refute this hypothesis.

In other news, I think we witnessed a bit of “the power of the pack,” as Cesar Millan would say. My in-laws’ dog, a rescued terrier mix named Watson, is a rather nervous, territorial dog with a penchant for loud barking, and he has never liked Ted. When we introduced them last Thanksgiving, Watson growled and lunged to bite Ted on the neck. Even though he didn’t draw any blood, it was very scary, and the two dogs have been kept apart ever since. Over the weekend, though, Watson and Ted came to an agreement: Ted wouldn’t go after Watson’s food or hog his people’s laps, and Watson would attempt to romp and play without biting. My mother-in-law kept exclaiming that “Watson made a friend!” and it was hilarious to watch Ted run circles around the older dog. Unfortunately, the action was too quick for me capture photographic evidence. For his part, Ted had no chewing issues while we were away, and we would like to think that that was due in part to Watson’s influence. I think that Ted liked having a playmate other than JG and me, for once. Judging from his enthusiasm in greeting guests and other dogs on walks, one would think that we never play with him at all.

Get your daily dog dose with Smalls, Kaya, Rufus, Ben, Bailey, Gus, and Zapp!