The new bitch in town

The next to last posting said that I was getting a new female shepherd. It's been a week now since I've had her. When I can remember her name, we are calling her Filly, in honor of Rachel Alexandra, the filly who won this year's Preakness by out running all the boys. She came from a shelter in southwest Virginia, about 6, 8, maybe 10 months old, cute, sweet, and pretty as can be. I moved her right in with Brady and Teddy, and a few days later added Tippy to the mix. She and Tippy look so much alike that I rely on the collars to differentiate them. Filly's brown is a bit more red than Tippy's, but they are about the same size, shape, and color.



Their disposition is quite different, however. Tippy is sweet and pretty mellow even though she is young and energetic. Filly is a bitch in training. She gets along with the other dogs, but only because they do what she says. The first picture is when she first met and moved in with Brady and Teddy. Notice her ears, perked up and forward, and her tail is held high, a sign of confidence, which is really over confidence when first meeting new dogs and moving into their territory. Brady, on the other hand, has his ears back in a more submissive posture. The next picture is Tippy and Brady at the water barrel. It's a little bit subtle, but Tippy is raising her lips and baring her teeth at rottie-chow mix Brady. The subtlety was not lost on Brady. If it was a male dog doing that, they would have had it out, but the girl dog gets away with it, and she always will.

She also demonstrated some food aggression towards the other dogs, so I made a point of playing Big Dog myself, and moving in on her food, putting my hand in the bowl, and taking it away from her, and even biting (pinching) her in the process. Fortunately, she submitted to me doing that so really all we have is a dog-on-dog manners problem. She's still a puppy and is very trainable. She nuzzles up to strangers for attention and affection, so she's going to be a good dog, but she's going to be a bitch in every sense of the word. If not properly placed, she will be returned in 4-6 months as she grows into the role of Alpha Bitch. She needs a home that understands the breed and the female of the breed in particular.

Speaking of the Alpha Bitch, here is my Gypsy. I've mentioned her a few times. She's the Queen B around here, and the B stands for Bitch. It's not an insult, it's a title she wears as proudly as any beauty queen wears her sash and tiara. Gypsy is getting up in age, probably 12 years now, but she is the undisputed leader of the pack. She would prefer I had another hobby, but she is an indispensable part of the rescue operation, making sure that all the foster dogs stay where they belong and giving me an immediate and unmistakable alert if anyone gets out.

Filly could become another Gypsy if given half a chance. As much as I love Gypsy, that is something that really needs to be avoided. Gypsy requires constant vigilance and would never have made it in the home of a casual dog owner. With proper training and the proper person, Filly will be wonderful. In the wrong hands, she will be trouble.