A roiling mass of black
That’s what we saw as we rounded the corner tonight. One large mass of black Labs playing in the yard, with their stout-chested yellow Lab father in the middle.
The puppy reunion party.
They’re all just a little over a year old now, and yes, Bear is by far the largest. He kept asking us while we were getting ready for the party, “Does this coat make me look fat?” No, Bear, you’re not fat–just big-boned like your father. And his father is BIG.
The dogs swam and chased each other and carried sticks and bones and frisbees for three and a half hours straight. We’re back in the hotel now, and Bear is sacked out on top of our luggage on the bed–didn’t even try to find a clear spot. Between the hike this morning and the non-stop action (including being humped by his own father for the last hour–don’t ask), Bear is completely comotose.
It’s hard to smile as much as all of us did tonight. I mean, you think you know your dog is the sweetest, most beautiful thing, but then getting to see him or her play with his brothers and sisters and parents, who are all equally as sweet and stunning, is really a sight for the heart. Sure, Bear was the only one stealing people’s shoes and hats and running away with them and refusing to turn them over, but other than that we were as proud of him as the other owners were of their dogs. And there we were, total strangers except for this one connection, all of us talking shamelessly about our own and each others’ dogs–how handsome, how smart, how sweet-tempered. Every dog got petted by every person–no playing favorites. That’s a nice mood to be around. No competition, just a shared love of this litter.
I think open adoption of puppies is a great idea. Rather than just drive away, never to see the parents or siblings again, make a point of getting together once a year to compare weights and accomplishments. You know, just like a high school reunion, only more often.
And one weird thing: apparently the nerd-bully dynamic works in the wild as well as in high schools. One of the dogs–we’ll call him Filbert–stepped out of his car and was immediately set upon by all of the dogs, including his parents. They surrounded him and harassed him then and throughout the night. Every time he came near his mother, she bared her teeth at him. Every time he stepped into the group, his siblings had him on his back within moments. It’s like he was wearing a “kick me” sign on his back.
How could that be? He wasn’t the runt, wasn’t visibly different in any way, but every one of those dogs–including Filbert himself–knew that he didn’t fit in. I’ve never heard of that before. When he finally called it quits, he had an escort of bullies all the way to his car, tackling him and ridiculing his collar and his haircut and who knows what else.
Who knew that a pack of puppies was just like the cliques in high school? Has anyone else ever seen that before?
Technorati Tags: Dogs, Pets, Labrador Retrievers
I think maybe high school is the wrong comparison. These dogs are family, so we have to account for genetic similarity. What about sibling dynamics?
In his own life, Fil is probably just a big, cute, furry doofus, and so everyone in the family righfully and expectedly teases him for it. Maybe he’s like that guy at dinner who eats all of the dip and then tries to kiss the wife goodbye. Or maybe he has gas, or a really whiny voice, or some other attribute for which a family is obligated to chide him.
It’s really a family duty to make fun of the doofus, not just a right and privilige. We all have little things that we tease our brothers and sisters about, and likewise they tease us.
It is the ritual of it that ties us together, and so I do not feel bad for little Fil, because he has his place in the family, too.
em-and your explanation of the humping would be..?