Well, Molly has been with us for a week now and boy, have our lives changed! She has been absolutely fabulous, and apart from a few minor issues no problem at all. Our female cat has got the measure of her, but the tom is behaving like a wuss. (A wusspuss, if you will). I've no idea how animals of different species communicate with each other, but they do and sort of work it out.
Molly was found in Walsall and so Shropshire is a bit daunting for her. She clearly has never seen horses cows or sheep before but to give her her due after a few days she now largely ignores them, though an owl the other night spooked both of us.
As we have been walking out with her, it's amazing how many people stop and chat. I know I've done the same and I've been wondering if we humans sometimes need an excuse to approach others and talk, and I suppose a dog is as good an excuse as any.
Today we've had a dog trainer in for a one- to- one lesson so that we don't get into bad habits right at the start. Diane was very good, and has taught us alot about how dogs understand commands and rewards. Gaining an understanding of what we can offer to a relationship is the first step towards understanding what we want from it. We cannot expect others to read our minds or them to read ours, especially if we talk different languages. This language barrier could exist for any reason - species, gender, generation, belief system,orientation or any number of others. It is my belief that effective communication between sentient beings depends on a willingness on both parts to try to understand something of the unique language of the other. But perhaps the most important aspect is an initial investment of trust. With this in the bank we can earn rewards in spades. When we lose it or fail to invest trust sufficiently, our relationships, whether with dogs or humans can struggle to thrive. With dogs as with humans we reap what we sow, and, unlike vegetables, the harvest is available everyday.