Sunny is Rhonda McMahan's Shetland Sheepdog (also known as a Sheltie). She is adorable and truly dispels a lot of beliefs I had about Shelties. She is not a "yappy little dog". She likes big Shepherds and does not act threatened by them. She is confident and even knows how to greet dogs she doesn't know, without snapping at them. I'm sure that is partly because she is used to being around Rhonda's Shepherds, but still ... she had never met my guys. Rhonda brought her over to try her on some agility obstacles, with Cathy Norlin and her dog Krissy.
Sunny took to it immediately. She was game to try any obstacle, even the teeter, which we were careful to hold for her, so she did not feel frightened. I firmly believe that if there was an obstacle she did not try, it was only because I had not put it out on the course. She is very smart!
Krissy & Sunny, watching the boys playing..
After our agility practice, Rhonda mentioned that she would be out of town the following weekend. She had arranged for the big dogs care, but she was concerned with Sunny, because she usually stayed in the house. I offered to take care of Sunny as she and my pack seemed to get along fine.
Quest liked Sunny immediately and she had a lot of respect for him. He probably told her he was Alpha Dog. Pirate was not sure what to do with her - so he barked at her and drove me and Quest crazy for a while. In Pirate's defence, Sunny had developed a game whereby she hid in a bedroom or bathroom and then charged out at the boys as they passed in the hallway, sometimes grabbing their tails. It was funny - well at least Quest and I thought it was funny. Pirate - not so much and Journey did not see the humor in it at all.
Journey loves big dogs. Great Danes are his favorites. He does not trust little dogs though. He has had a few bad experiences. He has found that they are more likely to snap at his nose if he tries to greet them. He is just very cautious of them. Sunny ignored his caution and just tried to play with him as she was doing with the other two. Journey spent a lot of time in my bedroom. Then it seemed that every time he came out of the bedroom, Sunny was snuggling with me. Journey had considered that his place and he would just slump and go back in the bedroom. By the last day of Sunny's visit, Journey was doing much better and was almost playing with Sunny, at times.
Quest at the fence, Journey, and Sunny protecting us from the neighbor dogs.
I enjoyed her. When we walked out on the property, the dogs across the road immediately noticed a stranger and began barking. My pack charged to the fence, in defense mode. Sunny watched for a minute, sitting by the tree (photo at top of page). Then she joined the pack and barked right back at the neighbor dogs. That was about the only time she barked - when she was helping the pack defend our property. She honored the alpha though and was careful not to get in front of Quest. She was not afraid of him in the slightest, just respectful.
Journey learned a lot over the few days Sunny was here. He learned that not all little dogs bite his nose. He learned that he could walk close to her without making her angry. He realized she wanted to play. Sunny learned that this pack does not touch the food pan belonging to another member of the pack. She learns so fast. My boys just stepped back and looked to me to step in. When I told her to stay back from their food she immediately did so. She is such a good natured little dog. It was fun having her visit.
We are hoping it will dry up and give us a chance to do a little more agility practice. We are hoping to teach Krissy and Sunny some of the fundamentals before they begin classes.
New guard team on duty - Sunny & Quest.
