Poor Alice, Poor Jules

[David_Spardo]

Jules is respectful, or perhaps a little fearful, of Alice. He has been snapped at a couple of times if she thinks he is going to step on her, but generally he more or less ignores her.

Yesterday was a little different. at first I thought they were playing but then the penny began to drop with me, she would sidle up to him and sniff under his throat, then he would make a clumsy attempt at what is known widely as ‘humping’, but I have seen other dogs do that, and him very occasionally, as a sign of dominance, non sexual.

They remained in close proximity for several hours and it occurred to me that she was coming into season. Not a lot he can do about that because he has, since many years, lost the wherewithal for such behaviour. I was surprised as she was found errant with no known history and I believe it is only by invasive operation that one can know this with a female, but I assumed that at her age, approaching 14, she might be done with all that stuff anyway.

I really know absolutely nothing about such things. All ‘my’ dogs over very many years have been either, as rescues sterilised, or too old. So I had to Google and found to my supprise that this could go on for several weeks.

My first thoughts were sympathy, and then of, well no harm done, but then, and this kept me awake during the night, not all dogs are like Jules and, as she loves to run 100s of metres away from me in great and joyous freedom on our walks, have I to keep her on a lead?

There was no noise during the night and this morning they are both calmer so I am hoping I am either wrong about her condition, or right about her age not mattering.

I will examen her a little more closely later, but there are non of the signs normally associated with the condition that I see at the moment. Fingers crossed.

[Lily]

I was the same David, until I was doggy sitting for my son. Seeing the female Yorkie ‘flirting’ with the labx thankfully the males are

[David_Spardo]

Yes, the male here is, but I can’t guarantee that she won’t be tracked down elsewhere by one who isn’t.
Apart from my own discomfort, I am so sorry that both of them must be so confused by this.

[Shiba]

Reminds me of a neighbour I had with a bichon who always snapped at my male dog but as soon as she was on heat, she was the equivalent of a street corner hooker. My boy was sterilised young as he was the only one of that breed for miles around and we didn’t want some shotgun toting lunatic looking for him if he got females in the club.

[David_Spardo]

Happily, ‘street corner hooker’ cannot be applied to Alice at the moment, she is curled up alone on the sofa next to me. He is similarly curled up on the other one.

Could it be I was panicking needlessly?

[David_Spardo]

I am very pleased to report that everything was back to normal throughout today. After seeing them so calm, and apart, this morning I chanced a walk with them as usual in the forest and field behind the garden. No problems at all, he carried on sniffing everywhere and generally ignoring us both, and she raced off hither and thither, disappearing and returning at speed from a different direction. Thankfully not long enough away each time to be diverted by any passing handsome Spaniel or suchlike.

So come on, as I said I know nothing about such goings on in dogs, is it possible for very active, but somewhat elderly, ladies to be flushed in a certain manner for one day only and then back to normal the next?

[Shiba]

Depends what we have had for our tea!

[David_Spardo]

She had sardines and croquettes, comme d’hab.

[Shiba]

Proper aphrodisiacs, those sardines.

[David_Spardo]

It has started again today, but at a lower level of intensity, still walking them in the forest and field where other dogs are never seen and Alice comes back to me as rapidly as ever.

[David_Spardo]

And again this morning, but now he is uninterested and, possibly as a result, she is more proactive. Just now, I saw that she had moved from her settee to his and keeps touching him around the face and neck, then puts both front paws up close to him, and finally, getting no response climbed up and lay cuddled up close to him. He put up with it, unmoving for 10 minutes before leaving the settee and going elswhere.

I know the cases are different, but many years ago when we still fostered for Phoenix, we still had our large Greyhound/Saluki X Lurcher, Lurch, with us. He was a gentle dog and bothered no-one, man or beast. Also here was a large Terrier who we looked after from time to time for an English couple in the days before pet passports. Phoenix asked us to foster a female Boxer and of course we said yes. I was playing petanque one day and I had to rush home after a paniced phone call from Fran, the Boxer had come into season and pestered Lurch unmercifully until, driven to rage at his disinterest, she attacked him viciously and, worse still, the Terrier, joining his pack instinct to her, attacked him as well.

When I got home Fran was holding a blood-soaked towel to Lurch’s breast and shielding him from the others. There was blood everywhere, all over him, and all round the garden where he had obviously desperately tried to escape. I rushed him to the vet who spent no less than 2 hours with him on the operating table stitching him back together again, and he survived. He eventually returned home to a dog free house, in the meantime I had taken the other 2 to Sharon’s kennels. The Boxer was isolated until she could be spayed and was subsequently re-homed and as far as I know lived out a full life.

I swore we would never have an unsterilised dog in the house again, and with only one exception, our lovely Beauceronne, Ramona, who only came here definitely not on heat and with an operation only days away booked, we have been able to keep to that rule. 'Till now, but, we didn’t know about Alice’s history and, in any case, thought that at her age it didn’t matter. And I don’t suppose it does, she is unlikely to have the personality or strength to attack Jules, even though he, like Lurch, is a very gentle soul. So I will keep an eye on things.

Bugger me, I have just turned round and, after both going out into the garden, they have come back and are cuddled up on the other settee.

[Shiba]

My cats used to do that to the dog who was outnumbered by four to one. All started off a bit wary and then over the weeks as the pup grew into an adult, they all but one little female used to squeeze into his basket and they would all be content, he in turn, became very protective and any strange cat or dog and he would round them up. Animals are so much like us humans when it comes to feelings.