Life at the farm has been anything but “kinda laid back,” as the song goes.
The pack of three are adjusting to each other to a point. Initially when the two “big” dogs got to fighting, Hudson made himself kind of scarce, but after watching me step in to break it up every time I guess he got a sense of “at least Terry won’t let him kill me,” and he started joining in or provoking battles himself.
When Hudson first came to live with Theo and me, he had a little problem with becoming the target of Theo’s “affections.”
Hudson tried convincing Lightning that “affection” was part of a farm initiation he would have to endure, but Lightning wasn’t having any of it. Occasionally a fight would break out over it. I usually stayed out of those fights. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
A few days after the big dogfight where I became collateral damage, Theo and Lightning got into it again. I think it was over one getting more pets than the other or something.
Theo’s still the biggest dog, but like his namesake Lightning is quick. He got Theo’s front paw in his jaws and tore a gash all the way to the bone. As I stepped in to break it up a streak of white came from my left and bowled Lightning over.
Hudson to the rescue.
The “little” white dog landed on Lightning’s back and the two disappeared off into the bushes with Hudson looking a bit like the trained monkey riding a dog that I see on television quite a bit.
Eventually, I broke up the two combatants, and after a quick check of Theo’s leg we were off to see Dr. Jon at Ark Valley Veterinary for stitches and staples.
By the next day the farm looked like a scene from an old war movie with walking wounded gimping about the place. I was still limping a bit from my bite. Theo was limping around with a big white bandage on his leg, and Lightning had torn a spot open on his paw either fleeing from Hudson or trying to dig out of the pen after the battle.
Hudson, on the other hand was spry and springing around the yard like Tigger in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons.
A few weeks have gone by since that last big battle. I’m not sure if there was a battle when I wasn’t home, or if getting his bum kicked by the smallest dog of the bunch was a humbling experience, but Theo seems to have regained the throne of alpha male with Hudson serving as his comic relief and sidekick. Lightning seems to have mellowed to a follower role, and the tails are wagging more on all three.
Occasionally, when I’m working outside I turn Theo’s shock collar off so he can roam a bit more. Last week while the collar was off, I saw the first signs of the dogs beginning to bond.
All three ran off together.
Life on the farm is anything but kinda laid back.
Terry Spradley is the editor of the St. John News. His e-mail address is sjnewseditor@embarqmail.com
