Our neighbors’ son is between apartments for a few weeks so he and his girlfriend will be staying at his parents’ house during the interlude. But there’s a wrinkle. Our neighbors have what Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, calls a “red-zone dog,” one who has a vicious antipathy to other dogs. That meant the son and his girlfriend couldn’t bring their dog, Millie, with them when they temporarily moved in with his parents. Knowing that we’ve looked after other people’s dogs in the past, our neighbors asked if we could temporarily take care of Millie. We agreed, and she moved in last night.
At first our own dog, Riley, was having none of it. Even though we followed Cesar Millan’s advice of walking the dogs together, first well apart and then gradually closer together, Riley growled and snarled at Millie whenever she got close. (She appeared to be unfazed.) By this morning Riley had mostly calmed down. Now he only gets agitated when Jennifer shows any affection for Millie. Jennifer is his human exclusively (though he has apparently granted me an exemption).
Millie, who is about four, seems to have a boundless supply of energy and curiosity. When she first enters any room, she inspects it thoroughly, sniffing her way over every square inch. When she’s finished she’ll look up at me as if to say, “OK, what’s next?”