Hoggie the Horrible

Sophie (aka Hoggie the Horrible or Tophie the Terrible when encountering other dogs) is a love bug. People always think she is a puppy when they meet her yet she will be 10 in October. She has never met a (human) stranger and will attack you with kisses if you let her. She loves pets and, quite frankly, any attention you give her. She is great with little kids and babies (thankfully), too.

And when she was younger, I could take her to the dog park and she would run and play and chase the ball. (She never learned to bring the ball back but that is fodder for another blog.) And then one day everything changed. Suddenly, she became Kujo when interacting with other dogs. I once babysat a pug puppy for the weekend and had to keep Sophie separated the entire time. After 72 hours, she decided the pup was no threat and actually fell asleep next to him on the couch. And then his parents came and picked him up so that was that.

Just this morning, T let the girls out to potty and Sophie saw a boxer in front of our truck. She started for the dog but thankfully stopped dead in her tracks when T shouted her name. (At least she listens...) And we were just out for our morning walk when she spotted a Boston Terrier puppy and just gave it the death stare from the other side of the street. (I know you are looking at her face thinking, "death stare?", but I swear she has one).

Sophie has a great life.  She loves all people, her toys and her sister. We think the dog aggression is all about protecting Stella who, by the way, yearns to play with all the dogs Sophie growls at and wants to attack.  So in one way it is sweet. In another, completely annoying and an inconvenience.

Especially when her cousin the pug comes to visit. Max and Sophie must be separated at all times for fear of what either will do to the other. (Interestingly enough, he isn't thrilled with other dogs but will play with Stella.  She just has that special something boys can't resist I guess.) So Max stays in the basement most of the time. If he comes upstairs, Sophie is in the crate. Barking incessantly. You get the picture.

Max is soon going to be with us for an extended period of time. Should we try and get them to be friends? Will it end in tears? (mine) Will it involve lots of yelling? (T) Should we be satisfied that Sophie lives a life with one canine friend only? The coming weeks will answer all of these questions. Stay tuned and send us your friendly doggie juju!