Battle of the Beds

This Thanksgiving, our friends dropped off their wonderful dog, Louie, while they traveled to be with family. The excitement that Penny gets from seeing and being around another dog is heart-breaking. It is like she finally feels comfortable in her own skin again. She wags her tail in a different way, puts her ears back as she approaches him, her little body vibrating with excitement as she moves in for a lick on Louie's enormous jowls. Louie is extremely tolerant of the little girl. He allows her to lick his face, touch noses, even jump on his face or shoulder. He gives a quiet growl when he's had enough and Penny backs away. But her desire to be loved and to interact with Louie tugs at some emotional heartstring in me. It is the eagerness to be loved and to please and the constant rejection. Every day, Penny makes an effort to sleep with Louie in his bed. Louie will have nothing to do with it. Everytime he gets up, walks away, and when she inevitably leaves the bed, he goes back and lays down. Finally I put Penny's bed right next to Louie's so that she'd be close to him but far enough that Louie wouldn't feel intruded on. Penny would put her paws and head on Louie's bed but keep her body in hers. In the picture below, you see her looking longingly toward him.

Soon enough Louie started leaving and sitting somewhere else, leaving our tiny little pup curled up alone in this huge bed. This morning however, I woke up to find Louie in Penny's bed! He didn't quite fit but had curled himself into the tiniest ball possible so that he would fit in the small dog bed.

This evening Louie finally started tolerating Penny sitting on the bed with him, but only for short spells of time. The most heartbreaking is that the people in her life who really do want to cuddle with her and love her are the ones she is most afraid of. She hasn't figured out that the weird two-leggeds in her life are her pack as well. She still shies away, trotting back to her crate with her tail between her legs when approached. Will this ever end or is this just the way she is?

Louie finally caves... but notice how he did manage to score her bunny toy.