12 July 2017

Notre monde a changé de peau

It's a new world around here. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, you might be thinking. Well, both statements are true. (Le Monde change de peau is the title of an Alain Souchon song from the 1970s. I learned a lot of French listening to his songs.)


Natasha is a much more confident and self-assured dog than Callie the border collie ever was. She learned a lot from Callie about how to fit into this household, but has applied the lessons in her own special way. Callie died suddenly about three weeks ago, after 10 years with us.


The biggest difference so far is the dog's relationship with Bertie the black cat (age 11). Actually, I'm not sure how much of the difference is a function of Bertie's attitude or the dog's. Natasha seems to treat Bert the same way Callie did, nipping at him and teasing him, but Callie was a much bigger animal and the cat might just have been afraid of her. He's not afraid of Natasha.


For us it means living differently. We no longer have to separate the two animals by closing doors and arranging schedules so that one animal or the other can be in the house. Bertie and Natasha co-exist, more or less peacefully, though the cat often seems to "run screaming from the room" when the puppy gets too rambunctious.

16 comments:

  1. The second picture would never had been possible with Callie.

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    1. It is hard to get the animals to sit still for a photo, so I have to take one when I can, no matter what the light conditions. So more noisy photos taken early in the morning.

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  2. Natasha looks like she is getting to that leggy 'teenager' stage?

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    1. She sure is growing up but she's still just a little thing. I guess her legs are getting longer. Having her and seeing a Sheltie up close makes me realize that our rescue dog Collette (1992-2006) was mostly Sheltie but slightly bigger. Photo... Collette had the same short legs.

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  3. I pity the puppy that I would bring into my house ... with 3 cats already in residence lol
    My very old cat and my puppy never had a days trouble. Sebastian the cat was in his teens, we brought Tate *Pup* in, thought it best to have the puppy sleep in a crate when we were not there .. came into the kitchen to find cat and puppy sleeping together in the crate. And that .. was that.

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  4. this makes me so happy...Bertie has waited a long time to be an inside kitty (or part time inside kitty)..I think Mr B recognizes puppyhood & accepts some antics before exiting stage left

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  5. That sounds like a more reasonable relationship between a cat and a dog. It is how our dogs and cats used to relate. Natasha is growing so quickly.

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    1. "Reasonable" is a funny word to use about cats and dogs. You can't reason with them.

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  6. Tried to write to Notes that I love her story about her puppy and cat sleeping in the crate together.
    Your black pets against the red background look good, Ken. Things have changed quickly there, but you will soon be used to the new normal.

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  7. What a great picture of Natasha and Bertie together.

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  8. Oh, this does my heart good :)
    Judy

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  9. awwwwwwwww. sister and brother getting along. good for them.

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  10. It's taken about 6 years for our cat and dog to tolerate each other, now they very occasionally touch noses. Otherwise they've made a pact to be friends, but not buddies.

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    1. Over the past few years, dearly departed Callie had gotten to the point where she would just go downstairs to the entryway or utility room when Bertie the cat showed up on the terrace and at the sliding glass door, asking to be let in. She didn't want to get into trouble. Dogs and cats are not really supposed to be buddies, are they?

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    2. If they're raised together, they can be great buddies. One of our cats coexists very well with the dogs, but the cat who came later (Stella) has never gotten over her fear of them. So she mainly stays outside, except when it's really cold out.

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  11. She's a strong girl, that Tasha. And smart enough to make a friend of Bertie. Good news all around. I wonder if she's still barking you awake at 5 a.m. I was thinking a little crate training might help if that becomes a problem. Let her know when it's time to come out/get up. Of course she could still bark, but maybe she'd get the idea and behave to have her freedom.

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