The outlaws Bonnie and Gus have been temporarily--I hope--separated. My company on my daily walks have thus been negatively affected. The problem is that my neighbor has purchased another dog. Gus now has a brother. I don't even know its name yet, and, even on my own property, it considers me a "threat." The puppy is a black lab, and I'm not in the least afraid of it; their reputation precedes them as being gentle, kind dogs. And though the pup barks at me whenever it sees me, it is not threatening, just unsure of my place in its new universe. Gus, of course, gets along fine with his new sibling and doesn't even feel jealous when the new kid on the block gets to go inside while he has to stay outside. My guess would be that in his doggyness, Gus even feels sorry for his new friend's lack of freedom. And Gus still comes running to see me, get some affection, and take a little walk. And the puppy will follow along at a safe distance, but if I stop to try to get to know him, he starts barking and backs away. Gus looks at him as if he's nuts and continues to enjoy my company. I imagine that he may even enjoy not having to share the attention.
The problem is that Bonnie and the new pooch have not yet established a friendship. Bonnie is working on it, but it hasn't happened so far. She comes onto my property and just sits and looks longingly at her old friend Gus who seems to be across an impassable chasm. The puppy will charge at Bonnie barking like a mad dog, but she just sits there unimpressed and totally unintimidated. My hope is that eventually they'll become friends, and the outlaw gang will be able to reunite and join me on my walks. And if the puppy is out, the gang may even grow to three. I could handle three companions on my daily excursions despite the old adage that's "two's company, and three's a crowd." I could learn to love a crowd. And I'm sure they would let me continue to tag along. After all, man is a dog's best friend.
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