The Pack Life

Bela has always been more social with humans than with other dogs. She doesn't dislike dogs -- not at all -- but if she's selecting who to greet, she's going human. For a while, I thought maybe she had a checkered past with canines, that something bad had happened, forcing her to just put a little distance between her and her kind. But as time goes by, my theory and her choices are changing. She's begun acting as part of a pack. And I've been wondering if she just wasn't comfortable before...but as she ages, like good wine...she finds that she can get along just fine.


She had a pack back in Chicago - just her and the Two Z's. Zico and Zena were her first. They allowed her to warm up slowly, but eventually, they claimed her -- and she them. In Kentucky, she and Jack made up a 2-pac. (hah!) Here in Iowa, she played third wheel to Elvis and Veruka.


Elvis and Veruka went back to their primary provider yesterday, after having spent a good while in custody of my main squeeze. I have been torn up about their departure. He loves them, I love them, Bela loves them. Why and where should they go, then? Well...as things are, it's complicated; and there's no easy answer to that question. The simple fact remains that they are gone; and Bela has lost her participation in a pack once again.


Though seemingly solitary in nature, I'm here to tell you that the way her eyes popped out of her head at the mention of their names is enough to know --- she loves to be part of a crowd. She would tear out of the back door with V & E with a voracity never displayed when bounding out alone. She spent a lot of time with these guys, and overcame obstacles I didn't think she could. She ate alongside them! She shared treats, split time, and even conquered sharing bed space. A proud mother, I watched her grow in their company.


When her friends headed to their new digs yesterday, I brought Bela along in the car. As they exited and she tried to do the same, I held her by the collar and gently, repeatedly, told her that 'Elvis and Veruka go bye bye'. She watched them until they were out of sight, then sniffed where they'd been sitting, and laid down her head. I don't know how much she feels or how much she understands, but I didn't want her find them missing one day. I couldn't bear the thought of her entering what she knew to be 'their house' and not finding them there. She would have looked for them behind doors, in the garage, the basement, the backyard...she would have exhausted possibility and then still sought answers. Even though she lost them as playmates, I made sure she didn't wonder where they'd gone.


Last night, she slept alone in the chair, then alone on the floor, and then alone in the bed. She didn't look around, but she didn't look very happy either.


So she's available, people [and by that, I mean people with dogs]. She's looking for another stamp in her passport. She's hoping to belong to another group. I'll keep my eyes open for potential matches and ask for playdates if I see them. Like any good mother, I will work to make my baby happy.