How fast can dogs form a pair-bond?
We have only one dog at present, a 3 yr old OES male (a rescue dog-neutered), named Charlie. Two lots up the street there is a 5 year old female; a retriever of some sort- about 40 lbs. A couple of weeks ago she appeared in our yard. The dogs played and got along well until we found out where she was from and took her home. Since then, she has shown up daily, sometimes a couple of time a day, one time in the middle of the night. She is apparently digging out under the fence and coming though my neighbor's yard to mine via a drainage ditch that is too small for Charlie to fit under. She goes home when her owner notices her gone and calls for her, but she usually is back in a short while. Charlie never tries to follow her home. Charlie loves the company and shares his food and toys with her without any aggression. They play, lay together and generally look like life long soul-mates. I don't mind the situation all that much and Charlie obviously loves the new company, but the female's owner is embarrassed and lately has been chaining her up-- which bothers me. I am curious whether this is just a bored dog or whether some kind of pair bond or pack bond can form so quickly. We have been looking into getting another rescue OES lately ourselves (the local OES rescue group had two litter mate females that they, unfortunately had to put down due to a genetic immune deficiency problem, but that is another story). We're still on the list, though. Any thoughts on how to deal with this? |
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Is she in heat? Is your guy neutered? That would be my first thought for that kind of "love."  |
| That was my first thought too.... if puppies suddenly appear I got dibs!
Otherwise maybe you can take Charlie for playdates over there, or have the golden come over on leash. As cute as the story sounds, I wouldn't be happy if my dog was digging to get out and wandering around either! |
This is so nice!  Yes, bonds can grow so fast between dogs and even between dogs and humans. My lab/greyhound mix, Lumpi had a similar bond with a goldendoodle back where we used to live. They wouldn't run off but they would always had the best time together and would play until they dropped.  Dogs, just like us like and dislike some dogs. They do say hi to all dogs, but they may only play with some of them.
I also read in a book about a wonderful human-dog bond - Vilmos Csányi If Dogs Could Talk about a woman walking to work and on the way she went pass this house where an Irish Setter lived. She always said hi to the dog, who was always waiting for her to be petted. One morning, when she got to this house she saw the dog and her owner standing at their gate. When she got there, the owner told her that the dog would cry to be let out half an hour before she would "come" to see her. They watched their dogs for a while and saw how much she loved this woman so they decided to ask her is she would like to keep her - even though they loved their dog! She, of course said yes! 
And I should mention my story too with my neighbour's OES, who would escape from home to get to me. I loved him and I suppose he loved me too.
Maybe you could talk to her owner and ask if she could come over once a day for a playdate? I'm sure you can work something out! Keep us posted! |
| No, Charlie is neutered and I believe that she is spayed too. The funny thing is that she has been living two houses away for 5 years and only in the past week has this tryst developed. His behavior is nothing like he is at the dog park. There he never pays much attention to any one dog and goes about policing up the groups and exhibiting pretty strong herding behavior. With Kaylee (the retriever's name) he is just a big wimp, wrestling with her and even though he outweighs her by about 70 lbs, usually ending up on his back. I have never seen him display any submissive behavior toward any other dog before.
It must be love. |
| Absolutely adorable. |
| Awwww |
| So it really is "puppy love!" (ha...ha...).
On a different note - why is that dog out in the middle of the night??? It isn't so bad that she's coming to your yard, especially if you don't mind, but if that dog is able to do that then where else could she get to if she wanted to? I don't want to be paranoid for no reason, but is this dog safe and well looked after? I'm just a little concerned that she is smart and able enough to get out, that's all. Cute story, though! |
| Love!!!!!! How sweet!!!!
Reminds of "Where the Red Fern Grows" a wonderful story of the bond between two redboned hounds in the Ozark mountains. A favorite book of mine... |
| Awww...it is love. I second Kata's idea. Talk to the owner about play dates. |
| Aaaaaw. It sounds like you've got two dogs that thoroughly enjoy each other's company. Maybe talking with the neighbor and scheduling play times as Kata suggested would be good. (I loved that story about the Irish Setter... thanks for sharing it )
Quote: She is apparently digging out under the fence and coming though my neighbor's yard to mine via a drainage ditch that is too small for Charlie to fit under.
She must be left outside unsupervised if she's digging out. I'm sure the owner is embarrassed if she's try to keep her contained yet she keeps escaping. It's sad about the chain though 
I hope you can find a solution that will benefit everyone. |
| Apparently Kaylee is a "yard dog", not allowed in the house--at least not often. I am sure that part of the problem is that she lacks attention although her owner seems to care for her otherwise. Charlie is, of course, very much a house dog. We have left the bottom of the screen door open and he just goes in and out pretty much as he pleases. And Kaylee will now suddenly appear at the dinner table, having learned that trick from Charlie. She seems completely house-broken by the way.
I noticed a new element of the relationship yesterday evening. My wife had bought Charlie a new Christmas collar-- one with little red and green LED lights embedded in it that flash on and off powered by a small watch battery. There is a little push button switch that Charlie sometimes manages to hit with his foot when he scratches his neck. I woke up last night when the room was filled with flashing Christmas lights. Yesterday after dark I was looking out the window and saw those little flashing Christmas lights up by the drainage ditch where Kaylee has been getting in. Then I heard two woofs. It was Charlie. Sure enough, five minutes later, Kayee appeared and both of them ran down to my lawn area and were playing. So I think that Charlie is not without culpability in fostering this affair. Yesterday my wife went up and had a talk with the Kaylee's owner. She is mad at her dog and embarrassed but agreed to let us come up and pick Kaylee up for a visit once in awhile. We have done this once but it hasn't lessened the other visits which are daily. These dogs just seem to want to be together. As I said, I don't really mind (outside of the fact that my lawn is getting pretty beat-up from all of the play), but it really is becoming a problem. I can hear Kaylee whining sometimes if I listen outside now. I think she must be tied up and feel partly responsible. I am wondering if I do find a female OES for Charlie, if Kaylee might not feel so welcome at our house and will stay at home. |
| Sounds like true love!
Poor Kaylee, being left out like that.
Doesn't sound like her owners care too much. Maybe they would be willing to give her up? Sounds like she'd make a great addition to your home, if she doesn't have to dig to get in.  |
rfloch wrote: I am wondering if I do find a female OES for Charlie, if Kaylee might not feel so welcome at our house and will stay at home.
Hmmm. I think it is more likely that Charlie will be enjoying a threesome. Or that your new OES will be left out like a 3rd wheel. How is Kaylee getting out of her yard? Are you prepared to restrict Charlie's own outings (particularly at night time?) I am not sure why not just let Kaylee come over to play. . . What's the downside? |
Quote: Hmmm. I think it is more likely that Charlie will be enjoying a threesome. Or that your new OES will be left out like a 3rd wheel.
How is Kaylee getting out of her yard? Are you prepared to restrict Charlie's own outings (particularly at night time?) I am not sure why not just let Kaylee come over to play. . . What's the downside? Yes, there could be a potential for a new OES to end up on the outside. That would be very unfair. I really have to solve the problem first. Charlie sleeps in the bedroom at night and the slider is closed. The night she showed up, he woke up when he heard her at the door and then woke me up whining. It was probably a mistake but I went down and let her in. They played for a few minutes and then both came upstairs where Charlie let her lay down on his blanket and her laid down next to her. It ended up a sleep-over until morning when I took her home. As I said Kaylee is repeatedly digging under the neighbor's fence. They fill the holes, put in boards along the bottom but she finds another place-- the yards are about 1/3 acre. If Kaylee was homeless I would take her in in a minute. She seems to be a very good dog. But I don't' feel right going to my neighbor and saying, "Your dog you've had for five years likes our home better. Why don't you just give her to me?" |
| I agree with Pepsi's Mommy. Maybe Kaylee would be happier living at your house? I guess you are thinking about getting a female OES. Why not a female retriever? |
| I don't know if it is the case that the retriever prefers a home other than her own or if she just really, really likes playing with a particular dog.
2 different neighbors, both of whom were great pet owners, had dogs (2 female and 1 male) who loved our first OES, Merlin. One neighbor had 2 different dogs at different times who would come calling at our house, becoming excellent escape artists and showing up at our back door. They just loved Merlin, who also loved them. So, we'd let them play and then call or just return the dog to its home if the neighbor hadn't already come to fetch the straying canine. Another neighbor's dog cries to come out when he knows we are in the neighborhood, although he clearly prefers my husband or me to our dogs, who are much larger than he is. I don't think any of the dogs wanted to live at our house, but I do think they considered Merlin a great friend, just as some kids in our neighborhood (whichever one we lived in) gravitated to our home, even though they had great parents, a nice home and plenty of toys--more than at our house. Oh, and I was one of the strictest parents, so it wasn't that, either. As has been said, just like people, dogs do make friends--and sometimes, enemies, sometimes for reasons that completely escape us. |
| I think it's just companionship or maybe some kind of an instant male-female pair-bond, not our home, necessarily. Outside of a few cookies, I have tried not to feed her even though she looks pretty thin to me. Besides, I'm a life-long sheepdog person. Had 11 of them going back to 1964-- 8 rescues and three pups. I've gotten them from the pound, from rescue groups... I even talked an OES owner out of their year-old sheepdog one time that I saw always chained to a tree, matted and neglected.
I guess you would say that in a way my life has been devoted to taking care of Old English Sheepdogs-- and there still seems to be plenty of unwanted sheepdogs out there who need a home. As nice a dog as Kaylee seems, a retriever is not for us unless she had no other place. Funny how even after over 40 years you don't forget: Lillibet (my first OES when I was 16, from a breeder in SoCal named Winifred Barnes, who along with Mona Berkowitz were the only OES breeders in California at the time) Monty (also from Mrs Barnes, a huge male who died young from Parvo when it first appeared in the 1970's and there was no treatment) Lulu ("free to good home". She was deaf. Deliberately run over by a car she couldn't hear coming. I can never forget that.) Puppy (another "free to good home". I didn't name her.) Randy (a pup form a local back yard breeder. I didn't know it but he had parvo from the litter. He pulled through-- the rest of the litter didn't.) Bo (an older dog, a breeder female from another back yard operation, let go by her owners after a divorce.) Barney (an older male voluntarily left at the pound by his owner) Freddie (a dog rescued by a local breeder, probably a puppy-mill dog) Oliver (a year old dog from the NorCal OES rescue and Freddie's life-long buddy) Brandon (the dog tied to a tree) Charlie (my current dog, also from NorCal OES rescue) Gee, that's 11 sheepdogs, I guess. 8 rescues and 3 pups. When Kaylee comes around it seems very strange to see a dog that is brown.. and I keep getting thumped by something called a tail... |
| I completely understand that you wouldn't want to take her in unless necessary, however I am concerned for her wellbeing. There is no such thing as a '"yard dog" - no dog wants to be out there endlessly while apart from her owners! (Yes, of course some like to be out there forever so it seems, but that is their choice, not the choice of the owner who banishes them out there!). As we all know and as any dog book will say, dogs are pack creatures! The fact that she can get out and her owner doesn't notice for a while is concerning. Even when Tucker is outside for an hour or two, I am constantly going to check on him every few minutes. It is also concerning that the owner gets mad at the dog, as if she is making the conscious choice to disobey her owner. She is bored - why would she stay in her own yard where she is bored and lonely when she can easily (?) get out and go visit her new best friend!!!
You also mentioned that she looks thin...is there other cause for concern, too? I'm beginning to wonder if a call to the SPCA would be in order, or no? I'm always really skeptical and worried for all animals, but I would rather make the call if I have any doubts than say, "ah nah, she's fine" and she really isn't. But of course I'm not there to see her to know your situation as well as you do, so that's up to you.[/quote] |
| She is thin but not mal-nourished. In fact, she is well muscled and just looks like an active dog with no fat (unlike our couch-potato sheepdog).
She is over right now. This time my wife went over and picked her up for a visit. i just grabbed a quick shot of them in the back yard--Charlie trailing along behind. Will post on the web site if I can figure it out. |
rfloch wrote: I am wondering if I do find a female OES for Charlie, if Kaylee might not feel so welcome at our house and will stay at home.
So, when you fell in love with your wife (secret dates,etc. ) and her parents would have said "Hey, we would prefer her marrying a lawyer, instead of an accountant". neither of you would have liked that. Finding Charlie another OES will not make Kylee or Charlie happier. They have a bond that Charlie may not have with the chosen one - "the lawyer".
You don't have to go over to the owner and ask if you could buy her but I'm sure you can lead them that way! |
Prof. Boni wrote: So, when you fell in love with your wife (secret dates,etc.
) and her parents would have said "Hey, we would prefer her marrying a lawyer, instead of an accountant". neither of you would have liked that. Finding Charlie another OES will not make Kylee or Charlie happier. They have a bond that Charlie may not have with the chosen one - "the lawyer".You don't have to go over to the owner and ask if you could buy her but I'm sure you can lead them that way! I see it as more like Charlie's first infatuation-- it's only been a couple of weeks, after all. I didn't marry my first school sweetheart, either. I saw her at a reunion some time ago-- what a disaster that would have been. Yes, I think Kaylee needs more attention from her owner. No I come from an British family and I don't understand having an outside-only dog either, but there are millions who do. Yes, she and Charlie get on splendidly. But, of course, he's never been around another dog one-on-one before. Maybe he will be like this with all females. But Kaylee's not mistreated and has grown up with her family for 5 years. I think she's just found a new special friend and something that's really fun to do. For now, I think I will do what I can for her and see if it runs its course. |
rfloch wrote: I didn't marry my first school sweetheart, either. I saw her at a reunion some time ago-- what a disaster that would have been. Fair enough.Quote: Maybe he will be like this with all females.
Maybe, maybe not. You'll see that. Make sure to introduce them to each other before you get the new dog and see if they like each other. I still think play dates are the best for all of you right now and as you said if it runs its course. Just keep us posted! |
| I think I am about to be overcome by events. Just had a call from a local groomer my wife knows who just groomed a 1 1/2 yo male OES brought in by the local County Shelter. She said the dog was "really sweet". Called the shelter and he was just vet-checked and neutered. He was a voluntary surrender from a family who had been evicted (more grief from the economy, I suppose).
We are going up to see the dog today and I suspect that there is a 99% chance we will come home with him. I can't stand the thought of an OES in the Pound. The one thing I am worried about is the fact that in my region (Sacramento area) the Nor CAL OES Rescue has just had to put two 1 1/2 old females down who both had a genetic immune deficiency that caused chronic and virulent mange and other infections. They were the females I was hoping to adopt. Since my County is in the same region and this male is the same age, I am fearful that this male might be from the same litter-- most likely a local back-yard breeding who shouldn't be breeding that line or a puppy mill who shipped a litter out to California to some pet store. Not sure what events will bring today. Kaylee may be in for a surprise when she appears this time. |
| Well... he's here. A rambunctious young male with a fresh neutering scar right from the pound. Charlie is not too sure about this, yet, but I don't see any aggression. Our new guy is a bit scared though.
His name is Dakota.. not a fitting name for a sheepdog to me. So we are looking for a new name. I offered Dudley as he is more than a little clumsy, my wife suggested Brandon after a dog I rescued once. It's still up in the air. He is reported to have three steel rods in one hip from an injury. Not sure about that... he moves OK. I just posed a couple of pictures. It was very hard to get them to stop still for even a second. My lawn is getting a lot of punishment at the moment. No sign of Kaylee today. Maybe she heard something from over the fence and decided to give these two males some room until things settled down a bit. Edit: We have a tentative name. "Toby". A compromise that has a bit of the "o" sound from Dakota and he seems to respond to it. |
| Wow - you certainly have your hands full!!!
I am so pleased that you rescued him, though. I knew if I had the resources and there was an OES here at the shelter I would take him, too! PS I like "Toby" the best! The name means "God is good" which might be appropriate given that you've just taken him in and given him a new home and new hope! |
| Just had a bit of an altercation-- over one of Charlie's toys. Charlie had it, Toby suddenly decided he wanted it. So I put them away until things sort out a little.
I have the feeling Toby is going to be the dominant dog, not that he shows any of the usually attempts to demonstrate dominance, but he is certainly not showing submissive behavior either. My wife is unhappy about that because Charlie is older and was here first. But dogs have a way of establishing the order of things in their world. Oh-oh. Kaylee just showed up. 20 minutes later: Now this is interesting. Charlie is allowing Kayle and Toby to play but whenever she seems to to annoyed with Toby, Charlie rushes him, with a bark and a lunge to drive him away. The only sign of dominance I have seen from Charlie. Toby backs off. I think I'll have to take her back soon though. It's been a big day for all concerned. |
WOW!  So many things happened in just a day! I'm glad you adopted him and I am with Mel&Tucker; if there was an OES at the rescue I would take him too.
Well, hopefully they can sort out everything fast. I like the name 'Toby' too. Have you decided on the name yet? Looking forward to seeing pictures! |
Quote: 20 minutes later: Now this is interesting. Charlie is allowing Kayle and Toby to play but whenever she seems to to annoyed with Toby, Charlie rushes him, with a bark and a lunge to drive him away. The only sign of dominance I have seen from Charlie. Toby backs off.
This is not surprising: our Archie has always been non-alpha until the puppies (now 20 months) arrived. He took the alpha position for a while, but it was much more in a mentor/parental manner than Merlin had with him. I wondered how long that would last since Sophie feels she was born to rule. The way it has shaken out now is that Sophie and Sherman (who is much larger than Sophie) still have their issues and are competitive with one another. However Archie is out of those conflicts altogether. He does step in if he feels one of the younger dogs is really out of line, especially if one of them starts to jump on some one. They are pretty good about not jumping, but once in a while, puppy still emerges and they get so excited they jump. Archie corrects whichever one it is. Sherman and Sophie both always back down. Archie doesn't try to go first in anything anymore. He won't let either dog take a toy from him, but other than that, it's live and let live from Archie. |
| Sorry to bore everyone with such a shifting, and maybe ridiculous story. It's been two weeks of crazy dog stuff around here with the neighbor's dog and now with this new, big bobtail from the pound. I work out of the house and have hardly billed any time to anyone this month as a result. With Christmas around the corner when no work gets done anyway, it's going to be a VERY lean month business-wise, I fear.
Just to wrap, his name is officially Toby. He is very demanding for attention and Charlie has chosen not to compete-- at least not for now. Toby shows no food aggression and lets Charlie move him away from his bowl but I still think that eventually, he will assume the dominant role. We'll just have to see. Right now both dogs are laying at my feet in the front office-- right on the $7000 Royal Hereke carpet I bought in Ismir Turkey this summer. Kaylee, by the way, went home of her own accord after an hour today, having left a little nick on Toby's nose. Too much of male sheepdogs for her, I think. Sometimes the solution to what seemed to be a problem comes in unpredictable ways... I'm a bit sad, though, that Charlie may have lost his first love. He doesn't wrestle with apparent joy with Toby like he did with Kaylee even right from the beginning. I have had males with males and male/female OES pairs in the past. There is clearly a difference in how they bond. And the difference is not unlike with people, I think. I posted some pictures, here's one, will post more if I can catch up to them.  |
| Charlie may feel a bit 'down' with a new (male) dog around, taking up so much attention. It will sort itself out, I'm sure. Make sure to still give Charlie plenty of attention, and if you like Kaylee and her owners, maybe some play time with just the two of the old friends.
Merlin's nose was seriously out of joint for days after we got Archie. He got over it and took to bossing Archie around with relish. Archie seemed to be absolutely in love with Sophie, and to a less extent, Sherman when we first brought them home. Dynamics changed as the puppies grew: the shine wore off of Sophie as she became more, mmm, witchy, and Sherman became Archie's more favorite. For an OES, Archie is remarkably undemanding of attention--he always played second fiddle to Merlin and he's ok with that still. While he still relishes his role of elder statesman to the pups (who'd athunk it? He still sleeps with his tongue out of his mouth), he seems willing to let Sophie and Sherman push for the bigger part of the attention. Archie seems content to be a bit of a wall flower, so I find that it is important for me to make a special effort to give him undivided attention. Sophie and Sherman have no problem demanding their fair share, and that of anyone else who is less pushy. |
| Wow, they look just like Pepsi and Rags!
Except Rags is a girl. Congrats to you on your new addition!
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| Congrats on the new addition! Hope things shake out for the best over there. . . |
| Don't fight |
Quote: That was my first thought too.... if puppies suddenly appear I got dibs!
OH gosh, they would be Immaculate Conception puppies! haha! |
| Just to wrap up the last chapter on this saga, after a few weeks we now seem to have cured all of the diseases and established the proper order of things.
Kaylee is the alpha female, Charlie the alpha male (although deferential to Kaylee). Toby, the new guy, has found his niche too. Here are the three of them holding hands. 
And Kaylee letting Toby snuggle. Toby is a big snuggler.  |
| Those a great pictures!
They all seem so happy, and to be getting along. |
| So glad it worked out well for all of you/them! They are so cute relaxing together. |
| I so enjoy a love story with a happy ending |
| Did I miss something???? Is Kaylee now living at your house? |
| yeah......what is Kaylee's situation, still the girl down the street? |
| Yeah, I was wondering the same thing myself. I re-read back through the posts to see if I've missed anything, but I didn't see that Kaylee came to live with you. By the look of the pictures you posted, there's alot of bonding/snuggling going on. |
Anonymous wrote: Yeah, I was wondering the same thing myself. I re-read back through the posts to see if I've missed anything, but I didn't see that Kaylee came to live with you. By the look of the pictures you posted, there's alot of bonding/snuggling going on.
Kaylee has been a frequent guest but has not moved in officially-- sometimes she is here nearly 24 hours at a time. We go up to get her, or more often she just shows up on her own, and once the son brought her down unannounced (we invited her to stay when ever they needed a dog sitter). She has always been welcome although to be honest it is easier for us with just the two boys now than when Kaylee is here and there is a pack. They get rambunctious as only a pack can do and once in awhile Charlie asserts his alpha male-alpha female rights and Toby gets shoved aside by either Charlie or Kaylee. Toby shows his youthful wounded pride by jumping in someone's lap and looking like "What'd I do?". But that only lasts for a few minutes and then it's back to everyone having fun or everyone sleeping. There is no in-between speed. We've had a bad winter storm through Northern Cal this week. One result is that a lot of fences are blown down in the neighborhood so loose dogs are even more of a problem-- we even had a strange female here once with the three of them. Kaylee has shown up at night regularly and we let her stay indoors with our two sheepdogs. She is not as well behaved as our dogs and she will jump up on the couch or the bed where ours only do it when invited (OK, well, usually only when invited). Unfortunately, the husband came home this week end (he has been in a re-training program somewhere) and Kaylee got tied up Saturday and Sunday so I haven't seen her for a day and a half. That doesn't make me very happy-- we can hear her whining sometimes... My two sheepdogs are now doing fine together. Of course, they get all happy when Kaylee shows up but it makes it harder on my wife and I. Yes, I've given some thought again to offering to keep her on a permanent basis, but that is going to be difficult for us. In a way, I almost regret getting Toby (no, not really. He was pitiful in the pound and clearly loves being with us now, and he is just the about the sweetest, hard-luck sheepdog I have ever seen). I know we cannot handle three young dogs at our age and Toby and Charlie are more manageable when it's just the two of them even though I can see that from their point of view, the pack is better with the alpha female. So I have been just rolling with it, happy to have Kaylee when she decides to come over, but reluctant to offer to take on the full responsibility for her. I am probably mishandling this but I don't know what else to do. By the way, the answer to my original question seems to be that some dogs can form an immediate male-female pair bond. Even with Toby in the picture, the bond between Charlie and Kaylee is present. She even seemed to reinforce his alpha male status during the first days when Toby joined us and it was in question. I even think that Charlie might not have ended up being the alpha male without Kaylee-- at least not so quickly. There is no explaining it, it is just like with people and it's given me some fascinating insights into dog behavior that I have never had even owning many sheepdogs for over 40 years. |
| I think you are doing the right thing and you can only just go with the flow. It must be amazing to see the bond between Charlie and Kaylee. |
| Some of you may remember this old thread and my predicament with a neighbor's female lab's ongoing tryst with my male OES Charlie a couple of years ago. In the middle of it we ended up getting another rescue OES male, Toby and the two boys now get along well. But while the two boys have this male thing going, there is something that only Kaylee brought to the pack.
It is now two years later and even though he has Toby as a companion, Charlie's romance with Kaylee has never waivered. They are all a little older-- Charlie is going on six, Toby almost three, and Kaylee has quite a bit of gray on her muzzle these days. There have been long periods, sometimes months, when Kaylee has been unable to escape her solitary existence but she eventually shows up-- like this week when she has been with my dogs every day. She manages to break through two fences to be with Charlie and has recently has taught herself to pull the fence boards up enough to squeeze through. I am continually nailing back loosened boards. Toby continues to be the third wheel which unfortunately reinforces his tendency as a barker, but he manages to get a little attention from Kaylee when Charlie lets him or lays down for a rest when he is exhausted. Toby loves those moments, fauning over the older female and kissing her face until she gets disgusted with his excesses and snaps a gentle warning at him. After a long day of play, the three of them will finally find a place for a nap-- usually Charlie and Kayle laying together with Toby close by, but sometimes Toby gets his chance. Charlie eventually wakes up, neck-wrestles with her some more, and forgets his middle age sense of dignity as a puppy-ish part of his personality comes out only with her. There is no doubt in my mind that a male and female can form lasting pair bonds that they never forget. Here is a recent shot of Charlie with the love of his life. 
And another with Toby and Kaylee napping check-to-cheek while Charlie is preoccupied.  |
| Thanks for the update. |
| Awwwwwww
sniffle |
| True love. |
| That is so sweet. Thank you for the update. |
I loved every update on this thread!!! That was better than anything I could have watched on T.V 
Thank you so much for sharing and even more for updating us! I can't believe what a love affair that they have. You have been such good neighbors and GREAT dog owners (or dog life-sharers ).
Please show us more pictures! This is just too much of a great story! And I have to say that you have a wonderful way with words. |
| Awe, that is wonderful. You are right, the bond is amazing between Kaylee and Charlie. It would be hard for me to let them be apart. |
| It's as if I live on Wisteria Lane for dogs. We have the neighborhood affair going on and the pain-in-the-ass little brother who can't mind his own business, but is basically lovable.
BTW, they are all together today again. She didn't break into the yard this time though. I was taking my two for a walk in the neighborhood this morning, got about three blocks away and suddenly, Kaylee is right there walking with them too. We cut the walk short and the two sheepdogs led her home and they played until it was time for their afternoon meal. Kaylee loves the beef, rice and vegetable stew I make up to mix with their kibble. Then a long nap and now it's play time again. What a life. |
| Five Days Later...
Kaylee has been a daily visitor again. Her owners are exasperated. Yesterday evening when I brought her back, they said "I don't know what to do. I guess we are just going to have to get rid of her... But she's my son's dog and he is in Japan." So last night my wife and I had a conversation. "We can't handle another dog, can we?" "No, not really. She's not a sheepdog even." "But what are we going to do? We can't let them give her away can we? Charlie would be heartbroken." "Yeah, he would. She's his mate, obviously. He doesn't care she's not a sheepdog. And anyway, who are we to decide who he wants to be with." "yeah, I guess so..." Today, in the driving rain, unable to break through the newly blocked fence in her yard, Kaylee broke through the fence into a yard up the hill and was caught by a neighbor I don't know on the street above-- who read the phone number on her tag and called her owner. Before she could get her, Kaylee had broken though another fence, across another yard and into the lot above me, and began to pull up boards on my back fence, a direction she had never come from before. Wet and desperate to be with our dogs, I toweled her off and let her in the house. When her owner came down an hour later, figuring she must be heading over here, we told her "why don't you just leave her with us for the time being-- like a foster home". She seemed relieved and agreed, offered to bring her food, which we said wasn't necessary. So, after two years, and after such a long courtship, Charlie and Kaylee (and Toby) are together at last. What can you do? |
| a wonderful love story, I;m so glad they are going to be together |
| What a WONDERFUL ending/BEGINNING of a whole new chapter--love this story-you should put it in 'book' form!! A true love story--would be a great book.... |
| The ending I was hoping for from the first post. |
| Uh ooooohhhh....
Do long-term relationships ever last after such an emotionally thrilling trist? Find out next week on "As the Dog Yearns". |
sheepiezone wrote: What a WONDERFUL ending/BEGINNING of a whole new chapter--love this story-you should put it in 'book' form!! A true love story--would be a great book....
Hey yeah, good idea. I'm seeing another Marley and me. Book deal, then movie deal, then interviews on Oprah. Get writing, its a winner. |
| Yep! I agree 100%!! |
| That is so sweet. You did the right thing. Who cares that she isn't a sheepie, she definitely was a dog in need who wanted to be with you and your sheepies. |
| I'm learning a few things about having two males and a female around on a full-time basis:
1. There is no such thing as "ladies first". 2. For the boys, there are lots of new interesting things to sniff. 3. Howling is a male thing, apparently. Kaylee thinks they are nuts and leaves the room. 4. Three-way tug-of-war doesn't work. 5. When dogs out number people, the dogs get to decide what to do. 6. The doorbell is the signal for instant pandemonium. |
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