[Dailydrool] Bitches

[Beverly Szaton]

I have only ever had one bitch-- Zelda. I have never learned so much about
doggy heirarchies so fast. She came to us at 12 weeks, walked in the door
and attacked Cooper, clinging to the ruff around his neck, growling and
snarling while he wandered helplessly around the room. We were convulsed
with laughter, but it turned out, she meant every snarl.
There is a reason that someone who is snarky is called a "bitch". Zelda
ruled this house with absolute authority. The only dog who would not
completely submit was Cooper, but he usually let her have her way. When she
went too far he would grab her, roll her upside down, hold her gently by the
throat and bounce her up and down until someone rescued him, because he
couldn't very well let go-- she would have gone right for him.

Zelda really did have PMS I believe. I tried to show her a couple of times
when she was in season and two of three times she threw an absolute hissy
fit at the Judge, not growling but bristling unmistakably and backing away
and looking not afraid but very evil. We were never excused because I had
told the Judge she was in season and he just laughed and said "bitches in
season are something else." The other Judge just suggested I not show her
when she was in season.
The third time she won, and I didn't know she was in season until I boosted
her by the rear into the Van and then looked at my hand,... oops.

After the first season, when we tried to keep her home for the first week
with an intact male Basset and an intact male Belgian in the house, I had
her boarded after that. Twice a year for 3 weeks she lived at the Vetspital
(I worked there, so I saw her every day) and she was the one I saw trying to
coax a breeding through a chain link fence.

I will probably never have another bitch. I like my Boys. But she ran the
house and she'd take on any dog that annoyed her, any dog at all--she was
totally fearless.
I sure miss her.

MomPerson to Nigel, Llewis, Conley and Cooper
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20100726/f326cf7f/attachment.htm>