My dog Hershey finally meets his match
November 26, 2008 – 11:47 amI needed a second dog like I needed a hole in the head, but when my mom found a pug without a home, I couldn’t resist.
Talula (pronounced Ta-loo-la) was on her way to an animal shelter before she joined my home Sunday. I'm smitten, obviously ...
I call her Lulu for short, and so far, she’s a trip. She weighs about 14 pounds but keeps my 65-pound beast of a dog Hershey in line like a drill sergeant.
Let me back up and start with Hershey. He is a dog only a mother could love, which is why I’ve kept him five years, five long years. I’m all he’s got, and I know no one else would take care of him because, well, how can I say this? Hershey is on crack.
He’s good natured, for the most part, but he doesn’t realize his own girth or strength. He’s hyper, and he likes to jump – on people, over furniture, on the bed, into my lap. Hershey is a mixed breed – part Norwegian elkhound and part who knows what else – and he’s marked like a Rottweiler, so he tends to scare the !%*# out of people when he bounds toward them. At least he likes to cuddle ...
Seriously, Hershey and I are an episode of the “Dog Whisperer” waiting to happen. I had a trainer come to my house once, and she gave me some tips. Essentially, she said, Hershey is bored. His behavior improves when I take him for long walks or to the dog park and make sure he has lots of interactive toys to keep him busy.
Enter Lulu.
I’ve only had her since Sunday, so I don’t know her quirks yet, but we’re bonding. She constantly follows me around the house, making all the common pug noises – snort, sniff, burp, cough. And she has great wrinkles. Just wook at that face ...
One of her best qualities so far is that she’s not afraid of Hershey, who can be a bully to other dogs if they don’t stand up to him. Lulu has no problem in this area.
When Hershey nips at her ears, she nips back and chases him around the couch. He then looks at me as if to say, “Are you going to allow this?” This morning they had a staring contest over a chew toy.
They glared, daring the other to go for the toy until Hershey looked at me and started barking. Then Lulu went in for the kill and grabbed the toy.
It can be traumatic for a dog to have to share his master with a new canine, so I’ve been giving Hershey lots of love.
So far, we’re one big happy family, and it’s nice to have a new partner to help me keep Hershey in line.
... The showdown. Lulu says "back off, big man."
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