Passing Another Test

The big moment had finally arrived for Red to meet his new brothers. Tyson who I refer to as Ty was a beautiful dog. To quote the famous New Jersey author, and a personal favorite of mine, Albert Payson Terhune, Tyson was "A Thoroughbred in Body and Soul." This in like manner to the famous heroic collie, Ch. Lad of Sunnybank.

Ty was just beautiful inside and outside. He had light russet markings against his thick, black Rottweiler coat. He was 24" at the shoulder, thus he was not a giant among his breed. However, he did weigh a formidable 141 pounds at that moment. He was my pound rescue in 2000. He was confiscated along with several other dogs from a "drug house" in town. He was said to cost $1000. My cost was $5. He was already neutered and up-to-date on his shots.

It had taken some time for Ty to trust me and when he did, my spirits soared. I was coached by other dog owners to make sure he recognized me as the alpha person in the house. One day he had thrown off his large and loose choke collar. He never left the property, rather he patroled along the hedges up to the garage. Then, he came over to me when I called him. The former owners must have invested in some obedience training for him. He was one of the most behaved dogs I ever had the privilege to own.

Now, I needed to know after nearly two years, that Ty would accept Red without incident. So, I brought the big red dog into my living room. I then brought Ty around to the same room. Red was probably not feeling too well yet with his double surgery the day before. I never knew Ty to back down from anyone and he went right up to the new dog. He sniffed him carefully. Then, unexpectedly, Red began to whine. I have often thought that Red's mother was the Rottweiler in his parentage. Perhaps, when he saw Ty, he reverted to his puppyhood. Anyway, Ty was accepting of the nearly grown puppy.

The bond forged that day was unbreakable. Ty took on a parent role and would often wash Red's face and ears for him. Red would sit or lie there by the larger dog and bask in the attention. To this day, Red will sit by anyone who will give him an ear rub. In fact, it happened with a stranger just the other day when I had my car serviced. I also was given the insight to Red that he was still an acquiescing puppy inside that large body.

Red passed the Tyson test that afternoon. This was to my great relief. I really wanted to keep that red dog. Next, I decided to bring in my shepherds. This would prove to be the first of many incidents between Red and them due to the highly jealous nature of both my shepherds. They were jealous of each other. Luc had even taken on Tyson when I first brought that big dog home. The exchange quickly decided who was my alpha dog. Hands down, Tyson had taken Luc by the back and lifted him off the ground. Luc had rushed at the unsuspecting Tyson and did not realize how strong Tyson would prove to be. Ty turned and grabbed up Luc and literally flung him aside.

Luc was my baby. I called him Puppy. He was almost always by my side. However, I did not want him to be an only dog. Luc would have preferred being an only dog. I prevailed, but through the years I incurred costs for that decision. I had rushed over to Luc, who was already up on his feet and literally slithered off. I did not see blood on him when I checked him over. Luc never openly challenged Tyson again. He did seize opportunities to steal his bones and toys when Ty wasn't looking.

Ty loved toys. He would leap into the air to catch base balls and frisbees. He rarely missed. I learned later that Rottweilers should not leap and jump as it is hard on their large frames. However, Ty loved to play! He would seek out people to bring a ball or toy over to and look so intently at his intended playmate that out of guilt we would all oblige him. His other past time, most likely due to his former owners, was to guard dog food bags as I would bring them in. I often found Ty in my kitchen, lying next to the bag, not opening it, rather waiting for me to do the honors. Oh yes, and by his side would be at least one toy. Sometimes, I would see three toys by him with two tucked under his front legs.

Red had this playful innocence to a point. However, catch was not a favorite past time for Red. If we threw him a Milkbone, then he did his best to catch it. So, now it was time for Red to meet his other brothers. More in my next post...