On the way to town today, I stopped at the side porch to greet my loving fleabags. My Sweet, Sweet Juno is always the first to arrive, but then again, her house is two feet from the kitchen door, and she sees me early. Today she was laying in the sun on the back porch deck, and hopped up right away to follow me to the steps.
My Sweet, Sweet Juno. She smelled sweet, actually, from laying in the sun, her fur all shiny and silky, as if we still had living chickens whose eggs she might be accused of eating. I guess it's kind of a cedar aroma, from her house, but my old cat Snuggles used to smell like that, too.
Speaking of cats...perched upon the shelf near the roaster pan of cat kibble was the Mad Pooper! The black-and-white tuxedo cat, Stockings, who has been banished from the garage. Stockings slunk away down the shelf and plopped to the porch, hiding between whatever junk Farmer H has sitting there now. I think it's Gassy-G the grill, and that big wooden cat house, and a propane tank for the grill. I'm not sure if Stockings was hiding from me, or from Jack, who came bounding up the steps. Jack LOVES Stockings. He tries to get to know Stockings better. In the Biblical way.
I kept a close eye on Stockings, because I didn't want him to skitter into the garage when I opened the door. I meant to get some more cat kibble from just inside, to replenish that in the roaster pan, and dollop out a treat for Juno and Jack. I poured some out in Juno's regular spot, nearest the shelf/pan/garage. Then just a little less for Jack (he's a littler dog), over by the steps. As I turned around, I saw Copper Jack had crept up to the sidewalk, so I gave him even less, because he's not even our dog.
While putting the kibble-dipping pan back in the garage, on top of the generator on wheels (flat tires) that we have in case the power goes out, I turned to look through the glass half of the people door and saw
SWEET, SWEET JUNO WITH HER HACKLES UP, INTIMIDATING JACK OUT OF HIS CAT KIBBLE!
No sound. Just that posture saying she meant business. Jack tucked his tail down between his rumps, ducked his head, and backed away. No. That's not happening on MY watch!
"JUNO! NO! BAD DOG! JUNO!"
Normally, Juno would have been so embarrassed and heartbroken that she'd have slunk away to her house. NOT THIS TIME!
Sweet Gummi Mary! Juno kept eating Jack's treat. I went out the door and said it again. STILL Juno chomped. I put my hand under her chin to lift her head and look her in the eye, and SHE POWERED HER HEAD DOWN TO EAT MORE!
Well! I'd had enough of that sass! I scooped up the remaining little pile of kibble, and moved it over to Juno's eating area, and called Jack. Uh huh. I stood watch while he finished.
I don't know what's gotten into my Sweet, Sweet Juno. She normally minds me, and is heartbroken to hear a harsh reprimand. It's not like she's starving. She's getting cantankerous in her later years, I guess. But she really, really needs to stop being...
...such a bitch.
8 comments:
That does seem unusual behaviour and I'm wondering if age is the reason or something else is going on? She's in good health? No tapeworm or anything?
River,
Good point. She's not losing weight, and her coat is glossy, and her nose cold and wet when she pokes it at my lips if I let her get too close. But I DID see her dragging her butt across the ground as I brought the dumpster up the driveway the other day. Maybe I should have Farmer H pick up some worming medicine.
Dragging her butt is a classic symptom. Get something that covers all types of worms and do two doses a week apart, the first to ill existing worms, the second to kill new hatchlings.
River,
Yes, this is not usual behavior for her. It's been a while since a worming. Usually our dogs get the worm meds as a pup, and whenever we get a new pup. So Juno probably hasn't had it since we got Jack about two years ago.
Maybe Jack has been tormenting Juno in some way, and this is her way of getting back at him.
I KNOW it's not Juno's fault. Somehow, it's all about Jack (and perhaps Copper).
Sioux,
He might have done something. That's just his nature. But Jack adores Juno, and defers to her. Of course, that could be because she's four times his size.
Juno hates Copper with the heat of 10,000 suns. She sometimes lays in her house growling, just in case Copper might wander by on his way to our water bowl or the food pans.
She is the Alpha. Been there the longest, got the title by default. Toni Louise is the alpha here. The only female, she defers to nobody. Well, except me. Good idea to worm her, though. Wonder if Copper needs to be wormed, as well. Maybe the worms came from him? Wall-E should be the alpha if we went by age, but he has no leadership qualities.
Kathy,
It could have been Copper! We blame him for everything else!
Poor Wall-E. He's the Rodney Dangerfield of your pack. No respect.
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