Close Encounters
Mar. 29th, 2006 03:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoutfellowMurphy and Ben are no quieter than other dogs. From within the house or the back yard, they react noisily to anything threatening - other dogs, passersby, cars, stray balloons (in Murphy's case) - and, though they're a bit less assertive away from their home turf, they do make their presence known there as well. This makes the following two incidents a bit, mm, unusual.
This morning, while brushing my teeth, I glanced out the bathroom window and saw Murphy, tail high and slowly wagging, gazing intently at something. Moving closer to the window, I saw what had caught his attention: there was a full-grown rabbit resting comfortably in the grass about three feet outside the fence. It was paying no apparent attention; indeed, it was facing more-or-less away from the fence, at about a 135-degree angle. With the window shut, I couldn't hear well what was going on; Murphy definitely wasn't barking, but it looked as though he was emitting an occasional interrogatory whuff. No reaction from the rabbit. Murphy reached the fence and poked his head about halfway through, still querying, still wagging. The tableau held for a minute or so before the rabbit sat up and bounded off. Murphy remained where he was long enough that I began to worry that he'd gotten his head stuck, but then he stepped back, tail lowered, and disconsolately mooched away.
A while later, it being a comparatively warm (look, Pa, 50 degrees!) morning, I took both dogs out for a walk. We were on the homeward stretch when I noticed a Siamese cat standing in the middle of the road, pretty much directly in our path. Both dogs saw the cat simultaneously and began pulling in that direction. I didn't have much choice of direction, but I did tighten both leads. Neither dog made any noise, except for some soft whines from Ben; Ben did not (as he usually would) get up on his hind legs and pull. They padded towards the cat, tails up; the cat stood there coolly, alert but not alarmed, until Murphy got to within - I swear this - about a foot. Then it turned and sauntered to the other side of the street. Both dogs looked (if dogs can look) crestfallen, but neither resisted as I led them on their way.
They're not that quiet. This is actually a little creepy.
This morning, while brushing my teeth, I glanced out the bathroom window and saw Murphy, tail high and slowly wagging, gazing intently at something. Moving closer to the window, I saw what had caught his attention: there was a full-grown rabbit resting comfortably in the grass about three feet outside the fence. It was paying no apparent attention; indeed, it was facing more-or-less away from the fence, at about a 135-degree angle. With the window shut, I couldn't hear well what was going on; Murphy definitely wasn't barking, but it looked as though he was emitting an occasional interrogatory whuff. No reaction from the rabbit. Murphy reached the fence and poked his head about halfway through, still querying, still wagging. The tableau held for a minute or so before the rabbit sat up and bounded off. Murphy remained where he was long enough that I began to worry that he'd gotten his head stuck, but then he stepped back, tail lowered, and disconsolately mooched away.
A while later, it being a comparatively warm (look, Pa, 50 degrees!) morning, I took both dogs out for a walk. We were on the homeward stretch when I noticed a Siamese cat standing in the middle of the road, pretty much directly in our path. Both dogs saw the cat simultaneously and began pulling in that direction. I didn't have much choice of direction, but I did tighten both leads. Neither dog made any noise, except for some soft whines from Ben; Ben did not (as he usually would) get up on his hind legs and pull. They padded towards the cat, tails up; the cat stood there coolly, alert but not alarmed, until Murphy got to within - I swear this - about a foot. Then it turned and sauntered to the other side of the street. Both dogs looked (if dogs can look) crestfallen, but neither resisted as I led them on their way.
They're not that quiet. This is actually a little creepy.
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Date: 2006-03-30 02:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-31 04:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-01 01:10 am (UTC)But I have no idea why they're not barking (g).
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Date: 2006-04-01 02:22 am (UTC)You'd think that, after living with dogs for most of the last five decades, I'd understand them a bit better...
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Date: 2006-04-01 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-01 04:21 pm (UTC)I, too, enjoy the stories muchly. Even if I'm reading it days later!
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Date: 2006-04-01 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-03 02:51 am (UTC)I enjoy hearing about your canine comrades' adventures too.