The Ole' Girl

It's been a week since we had to put Roxy down. I'm sure it's almost as hard for Holly as it's been for us. She and Roxy had a good friendship, one where they could play together but knew when to keep their distance as well. Having a puppy around has made me realize how cranky this ole' girl, Holly, can get. She will lay across the entryway then growl at Duke if he tries to walk by. If she gets to the water bowl first after playing and, heaven forbid, he tries to get a drink of water she lets him know he needs to wait. If he's getting attention and she isn't, she'll nose her way in until she is getting the same, or more, attention. She reminds us of "Walter" on Gran Tarino, always growling to get the point across. Don't get me wrong, there are times I want to growl at Duke myself. He's into the exploring phase so when he goes outside he's brought me back anything from dead mice to HUGE clumps of horse manure (don't know how it fits in his mouth). It seems every time I clean up the toy box, he dumps it out again. I get that he's just being a puppy, but she gets easily annoyed with having "a kid" around. Some days are easier than others. Holly does just fine with him when they're outside. They wrestle, he nips at her ears, they explore together, she plows him over to get the ball. It's just when they're inside that she takes issue with him. But, I guess she's lived 8 times as long as him so she deserves to have her say in how things go as well. Just like elderly people-You reach an age where anything goes because you deserve it and by golly, you've earned it!! So, the ole' girl can keeping growling away because deep down I think she likes having another dog around, making it not so lonely.