Girls Will Be Girls

Sometimes, pack dynamics really surprise you.  When we brought Bunny home, she tried really hard to be buddies with Blueberry, and Blue really wasn't having any of it.  She was suddenly too grown up to play and no matter what Bunny did, she would not budge on the issue.

I thought when we brought Morgan home that Bunny would be really happy to have her here.  Morgan is closer to her in age and Bunny really does like to play.  After several years of being the only young dog, she was finally going to have some companionship.

I suppose some of you think you know where this is going.  Bunny really wants nothing to do with playing with Morgan.  This is certainly not for lack of trying on Morgan's part.  I think the point where Bunny's entire head was inside Morgan's mouth may have just been the dealbreaker for Bunny.  She just doesn't like the rough style of play that Morgan prefers.  When Morgan gets too much for the tiny princess, she tells her off with all the finesse of a junkyard dog.  Fortunately, these times are rare and it sounds worse than it actually is.  Bunny knows how to use her bark and she doesn't hesitate to do so, and it works for her.  Mr. Taleteller rushes in every time and tells Morgan to knock it off and behave, then Bunny prances to the couch and flounces down on it.  She couldn't be more pleased that her daddy put Morgan in her place.

Morgan isn't lacking for companionship here in the house, though.  She's found a wonderful barking companion in Lilac.  They run, well, Morgan runs and Lilac hobbles, to the front window to bark at intruders together when someone rings the doorbell on television and then head to the kitchen window to make sure all is quiet on the other front.  Lilac seems pleased as punch that another dog is finally joining in her quest to make sure that our eardrums develop holes. 

The real bond Morgan seems to be working on, however, is with Blueberry.  Her royal highness, who was too good to play with Bunny, seems determined to get Morgan cranked up every night.  It starts with a run into the bedroom, then a return to the living room, where Blueberry often taunts Morgan by running into the crate and somehow closing the door and then a return lap to the bedroom. 

I never thought I'd see Blueberry lowering herself to actual playing with other dogs.  She is remarkably tolerant of Morgan, but she still draws the line and Morgan seems to be willing to stay on her side of said line.  Now if only Bunny could figure out how to be included.  I think she wants to join in, she just gets overwhelmed.  I have a feeling that if she did decide to join in that neither Morgan or Blueberry would know what hit them!

Wordless Wednesday 8/11 -- Four On The Floor

She's All Girl

One thing I've noticed that we get mistakes about a lot both in real life and here online is that people mistake Morgan for a male.  She would like it to be known that she is a girl, and that she's all girl.  In a quest to learn more about this, I did some research online in an effort to educate myself so that I can explain it better when I'm asked about it.

Male German Shepherds are bigger and more masculine-looking than their female counterparts.  They generally are more territorial of their location and are larger and bulkier then the females.  Female Shepherds are smaller and more feminine in appearance.  This is often to their advantage when they work.  Females also have a much stronger "pack" instinct and are more protective of their family than males. 

(I don't know who this dog is, but his picture came up on a Goggle search.)

I suppose it doesn't help Morgan's case that Mr. Taleteller is vehemently opposed to his girl wearing anything that looks girly.  She has a really nice black leather collar, and there's talk of ordering her a backpack, but I have been informed that it will NOT be pink.  So, I'm left a little at a loss as to what to do to make it more obvious that she's a girl.  Mr. Taleteller has decided he likes the color red for her backpack.  I wonder if it would be wrong to paint her toenails Fire Hydrant Red.

Over The Waterfall And Through The Woods

Bunny here, writing about another great hike we had over the weekend.

We had so much fun hiking last weekend that we really wanted to go again.  It was a little warm here at home, but Dad came up with a plan.  So, early in the morning, Mom, Dad, Morgan and I all loaded into the van and headed to Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin.  It was even nicer there than it was at home and it was cool enough that we could hike very comfortably.  Since it was kind of steep in some places, Dad decided that Blueberry should stay home this time and keep Lilac company.  I'm not sure Blue agreed, but once we got there, I'm pretty sure it was the right decision.

After a long drive, we finally got to the park.  Wow!  It was really beautiful there.  We started walking down a trail and saw this little trickle of water that was a small creek. 

The next thing we knew, we were looking at a waterfall.  I'm not sure how Mother Nature manages to do that, but Morgan and I were very impressed.

We hiked down some pretty steep and treacherous rocks on the side of the cliff and went down to the bottom.  I thought it was pretty easy to get to the bottom, myself, but Dad and Morgan seemed to have a little more trouble.  Mom whispered something about a wild dingo to me and I had to stop for a moment to compose myself.  That did give me a good giggle.  Anyhow, soon we were at the bottom and we decided to get in the pond and cool off our feet.  That water was COLD!  I have a new appreciation for that phrase about "refreshing as a mountain stream" now.

After cooling our jets we went further down the trail.  I'm pretty sure we found the Tree of Knowledge out there.  I thought it looked pretty cool. 

Dad and Morgan continued to have discussions about walking technique.  Mom figured it wouldn't be a good time to remind Dad about the things he said to her when she was trying to teach me to walk with manners.  I am certain that I didn't ever come close to almost pulling Mom up a mountain, though. 

After a while, we came to a meadow where lots of wildflowers were blooming.  The butterflies were dancing all around, too, but we didn't catch them with the camera.  It was a beautiful day for walking outside!

We found this red leaf on the ground while we were walking.  It's only August!  Mom said she hopes it's not going to be an early Fall and I do, too.  We tried to get a picture of it, but it didn't take.  Morgan saw it, too, though.  Dad says there are not many pictures of Morgan this time because she wouldn't be still most of the time.

Near the end, I was hopping over the rocks like a deer.  Mom was quite impressed and said she had no idea I'd take to hiking like I did.  I hope that means more hikes in the near future!

After it was all over, I was really tired, and so was Morgan.  We decided that we're glad we have the whole week to recover while Mom and Dad go to work! 

A New Routine

There's no denying that adding a new dog to the mix shakes things up.  Adding Morgan in with the girls has been an entertaining and uplifitng experience for us.  I sometimes wonder if she feels like she landed on another planet.

One of the routines that I've always loved is when Mr. Taleteller leaves the baby gate down on Saturday mornings and Bunny comes back to bed with me.   She comes in and curls up and will sleep until she senses that I'm waking up.  Then somehow her little body winds up much closer to mine.  She'll lay there and watch me until I make the mistake of starting to pet her.  After that, there's no going back to sleep.  You do not stop petting Bunny on the bed once you've started.  If you do stop, you are sternly reminded with The Paw.  She also ends up with her head beside me on the pillow, and honestly, in my completely biased opinion, she's just too adorable to stop petting.

However, now there's a new element to the Saturday morning routine.  After Bunny has decided that she's had enough or she needs a drink or something attracts her attention in the living room and she's gone, Morgan decides that she needs to come in for some quality time.  Morgan time is nothing like Bunny time!  I hear one thundering step on the bedroom floor before the bed shakes from the earthquake of her landing.  Then it's a pounce and two giant paws hold my shoulders down while Morgan expresses all of her feelings with her tongue.  Honestly, by the time she's done I don't feel like I even need to start my day with a shower or brushing my teeth.  She rolls over for a belly rub, which is a full body experience as she wriggles around in ecstacy. 

It's definitely two different styles of wake up call, but honestly, I've found that I enjoy both of them!  It's nice to have a little time with the big fuzzy girl before she heads off with my husband to obedience class.  While they're gone, I get to spend some quiet quality time with the girls in the living room and think about what adventures we can get into during the rest of the day.  I just find it so endearing that they all have their own little routines that they have to share with you. 

We're participating in the Saturday Pet Blog Hop today.  Thanks to Life With Dogs, Two Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume for hosting this fun event.  It's a great way to find some new blogs and perhaps attract a few new followers to your own blog.  Simply add your link into the McLinky tool, then copy the code and paste it into your html editor.  We hope you find some new friends!