A long time ago, I witnessed something that both surprised and amused me. In truth, I was so shocked by how things turned out that I still chuckle over it, years later. I only wish I had been carrying a camera because I'm sure it would have won a prize on America's Funniest Home Videos.
Okay, here's what happened. We owned a little African Basenji Dog that had been adopted by second son when he was fifteen. Those two were inseparable. When second son left the country to be a Foreign-exchange Student, Stranger the dog sort of became my dog. She followed me everywhere. If I was in the living room and went to another room, Stranger was right by my side. I was pleased that she had adjusted so well to our son's absence.
At the end of the school year, we decided to take Stranger with us to the airport when we picked second son up. It was a small-town airport and Stranger jumped out of the car and began investigating the new surroundings. Her smile told us that she was enjoying this new adventure, but we waited anxiously for her to realize that second son had come home. We didn't have to wait for long.
Suddenly, Stranger froze in her tracks. Two feet to her left, stood second son. We were sure she could see him out of the corner of her eye. Still, she just stood. Second son stepped closer. Stranger moved away just as far... several times.
Finally, second son reached down and picked Stranger up, ready for the warm greeting he fully expected from her. Instead of a warm welcome, though, Stranger began looking around; up, down, around... any direction, as long as she wasn't looking at second son. I couldn't believe how extreme her efforts were to ignore second son. For fifteen minutes, she was determined not to see him. I kid you not.
Until that very moment, I did not know that animals would react in such a way. Stranger made second son jump through so many hoops that evening, before she would finally give in and allow him to pet her. Have you ever seen a dog act this way? I've seen some pretty bizarre behavior, but this truly was the most curious reaction I have ever seen from a pet. Have you ever seen anything like this? Do tell.
Until the next time, keep a hug on.
~ Yaya
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In my house, we call it "shunning". Dogs do it all the time when they get angry with you and why you haven't been around. Cute story!!
Thank you, PJ. I thought it was one of the sweetest stories of Upset I had ever seen. Our little furry pal had found a way to endear herself to us, even more.
Keeper was definitely shunning second son. It was soooooo cute.
~ Yaya
Yaya's Changing World
What a cute story. Yes, our dogs have put us in our places if they feel neglected or humiliated in any way. It goes to show that all living things can be offended. LOL!
Good morning. Good to know our dogs aren't the only ones that do that. Well, dog, now. But it used to be plural.
Didn't you used to have another blog, too?
Anyway.
Good morning! I know I said it twice but I really mean it!
"Talk to the paw"
I think your pooch was pissed!
I had a cat that was like that. She was srsly my cat! She wouldn't let anyone else pet her or even get too close. She slept with me at night and followed me around by day. She would be right there when I came home from school and she had a habit of (okay, like twice) leaving me mouse presents (gross!) in my bedroom.
Then I went off to college. Every time I would come home for a long weekend, she would spend the first night giving me the cold shoulder, but by the next day, she would forgive me.
The year I got married, it was like she knew I would be taken care of. After all that time, she still never really let anyone else close, but once I was happily wed, she became very friendly with my mom and dad. What a cat!
Dogs are smarter than we humans give them credit. I am sure she was punishing him for LEAVING her, even though she adjusted well or seemed to. My dogs never cease to amaze me with their antics and sensitivities.
Blessings, hugs, and prayers,
andrea
My cats do the same things all the time when I leave them for a few weeks and come back. Gotta love animals.
Oh, yeah...I've seen it with one of our dogs who passed away about 9 years ago.
So, your son was an exchange student...I may e-mail you and ask you about that for our youngest son!
Cute story! And YES dogs can "shun" or "sulk" really well. If I don't give my dog her dog treat when she thinks she needs it, she most defintely sulks or mopes around the house, she won't look at me or come when I call unless I tell her I have her treat. They are definately smart animals!
lol.. awww..I loved your story. Our dog likes to hide our shoes if he thinks we have been gone too long. We all walk around the house barefoot so the shoes mean leaving I guess and he tried to get rid of them. Animals are alot smarter than we give them credit for being.
I have been reading your blog for awhile and noticed I was not following, so now I am.
Love the story today. Stories about kids and dogs always get me.
That is too funny! That is how my little sisters would react to anyone in our family who went out of town more than a few days. They would give us the cold shoulder for hours!
P.S. I love that you an award-free blog. I've gotten a few of those. As much of a compliment it is to get one, I don't really want to do that kind of stuff on my blog and i didn't know what to do about it. I may have to borrow your idea! Thanks!
When I was growing up I had a dog that would race with me. Now we all know that dogs can easily outrun a child. However, he was smart enough to realize that every now and then he needed to 'let' me win a race.
Dogs are so smart. Sounds like yours has a sense of humor too!
Oh yes...we've seen it several times-with two different dogs. We had a Jack Russell Terrier who would jump into our arms after being at the vet, every time, until we took him to be fixed. He didn't even look at us for 2 days!! Cute story. Thanks for the follow off Blog Frog!
:D
Hey yaya, So nice to meet you. Thanks for following through BlogFrog. I loved your dog story. I have two little toy poodles and they do the same thing if we go out of town and leave them with a sitter. They get mad at us and yes, "shun" is the perfect word for what they do to us. It takes about a day for them to love us unconditionally again. Please visit me at my blog: http://newagegrandma.blogspot.com. I'm a follower now of yours and look forward to more of your stories.
Hi Yaya. Thank you for following me on BlogFrog. I've enjoyed reading your blogs and love your style. Very entertaining. I love that the puppy showed his true feelings. He was hurt and wanted your son to know. That's why we love our animals so much. They truly are one of the family. What a great story!
My best friend has a basenji!!! I love that little dog! And I never met anyone else with one, so that's awesome.
I've never heard/seen a dog doing that, but I can definitely see it as a sort of snub. Or confusion as to who is master was.
I've never seen that and have a hard time believing a dog could do that. My own dog is always, always excited when our sons come back from college, even after one whole year. Great story.
Hi. Thanks for the follow. I've heard of dogs shunning though my two dogs never did that. Just reminds us of how much feelings our pets have for us, too.
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