This past winter, Dean lost his faithful companion of eight years, Franklin, a sweet Australian Shepard who was devoted to Dean and after a year of wooing, became protective of me as well. When it came time to think of another dog, I suggested another Labrador, but Dean said he would like to get a smaller dog. After an extensive on-line search, he decided on a Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) pup.
Enter, Rosie, a six pound ball of fuzzy adorable peskiness. Since her arrival I have learned a thing or two about small dogs; such as many like Miss Rosie have no idea that they are tiny and could be squished by a misstep of the humans around them or chomped on by a 65 lb. Labrador who Rosie delights in terrorizing. Rosie spends her days vacillating between two speeds, lightning and coma. Also, she likes to explore her world by biting at everything, including human feet walking by, bricks on the wood stove hearth, dandelions, and even attempting to bite at the wind coming out of a fan. Clearly God made her so adorable because she would not survive the appropriate wrath resulting from her antics if she got the payback deserved as she tries to bite everything in sight.
Micah, however, is decidedly not impressed with her cuteness. He does his best to ignore her, which just seems to inspire Rosie to spend more time trying to nip at his feet to get his attention. This results in me rescuing Micah a few times daily when Rosie holds him captive in his bedroom or the bathroom by barking at him when he wants to leave. Attempts to encourage Micah to pick her up to move her out of the way, or to just step over her have not been successful; Micah is totally intimidated by the tiny tyrant. A friend who has a small dog, says her pup has a “Napoleon Complex”, and now I suspect Rosie has a kindred spirit.
I do not recall that Celi, my Labrador ever bothered Micah, even when she was a puppy. Although Celi will endlessly pester every visitor for attention until we demand she stops, she seems to know that her job is to keep an eye on Micah, but not go to him for affection. Micah likes it that way and I am sure he is waiting for the day that Rosie gets the hint that he is not into contact with her. Meanwhile I will continue to try to encourage Micah to be assertive when little Rosie pushes him into a corner. I am hoping he will see how easy it is to pick up her round fluffy body, or he will observe Celi as she whips Rosie through the air after Rosie chomps on her tail. Until then, the best defense will be to run interference between my 6’2″ son and the tiny pint- sized princess who currently rules the house.
Jan Lessard Peightell May 24, 2021