Post by kyosa on Dec 28, 2006 21:04:47 GMT -5
Just a bit of background. . . . Mike, our #1 son, and his wife live in Springfield, MO. Wonder Woman and I are about 45 miles northwest of St. Louis, so we're about 230 miles from Springfield. DIL's family is all from Springfield, so the holidays have to be divided up. One year they're here for Thanksgiving, the next it's Christmas. Last year (2005) they were here for Thanksgiving. They got in the afternoon before Thanksgiving when I was still at work. Bachelor and Buster, #1 son's Newfoundland, had been sort of sizing each other up most of the afternoon, but without incident. Bachelor's usual accomplice, Pepper, was completely uninterested. Buster is probably one of the two or three most laid-back dogs on the planet. Bachelor isn't. Anyway, they had a sort of undeclared truce in effect until I got home from work. When I walked in the door Buster got up and slowly ambled over to see me. Now, he's a BIG boy. They've since slimmed him down to a svelte 165, but at the time he weighed 180 - 185 lb. He's dark brown and has a head about as big around as the mouth on a five-gallon bucket. If he had a short tail he'd look a lot like a smallish bear at first glance. When he started toward me Bachelor must have thought I needed to be defended. He came tearing across the room, jumped, and grabbed Buster by the thick hair on his throat. He couldn't really hurt him since I doubt that his teeth are long enough to reach skin, but Buster was taken completely be surprise. They were on a hardwood floor and when Buster tried to recoil from this crazed buzzsaw hanging from his neck his feet just went in four different directions and he fell in a heap. Bachelor wouldn't let go and kept up this constant snarl that sounded like the very hounds of Hell had been unleashed. Buster's front legs are about the size of my arms, and as he was flailing around trying to get his feet under him these big legs are pounding on the wood floor with a sound like a herd of horses stampeding through the house. There's an area rug in the living room and by the time Buster managed to reach it, with his tormentor still firmly attached, a card table was upside down and two heavy dining-room chairs were lying on their backs. When he got to the rug Buster was able to get his feet under him and dislodge Bachelor from his neck. The big sweetie didn't so much as growl at Bachelor, although he could have easily bitten him in half if he'd wanted to. Instead he just looked at him like, "OK Psycho, what was THAT all about?" I guess dogs are a lot like kids fighting on the playground who go on to become friends, because after that incident the rest of the holiday passed without further problems. Bachelor and Buster seemed to get along just fine and actually seemed to enjoy each other's company, although I'd have never guessed it on the day they almost tore the house down! ;^)
Darryl
Darryl
