Crotchety Dogs

  Old dogs and heat do not mix!  Ben and Sophie have been sniping at each other over every little thing since these heat waves started last week.  It hasn't helped that we have girls in season, which has irritated Sophie as her brother is mooning over them instead of spending time with her.
  Sophie has also been irked by the puppies playing and this morning objected to Lauren walking by her kennel.  This made Sophie start to snarl and bark.  Lauren, who always enjoys a fence fight, obliged Sophie by barking back.  Ben wisely stayed away from the fuss but was not so lucky last week.  Ben has been as quick as Sophie to express displeasure over something.  Although Sophie generally acquiesces to his short temper tantrums, sometimes she just lets him know she's had enough.  I came home from a show to find him with scrape marks along his muzzle and eye.  He made the scrapes worse by  rubbing his face along the fence and having flies bite where he made the scratches bleed.  Needless to say, Ben's been spending a lot of time in the house, getting TLC!  He enjoys the extra attention, but both he and Sophie prefer to be outside.  They come inside during the heat of the day, going outside in the cooler evenings.  They seem to enjoy being part of the gang even if they do find their habits annoying!
  While the cuts were shallow and healed quickly, it's been hard to watch Ben visibly age these last few months.  His muzzle is mainly white, sometimes his balance is unsteady and he doesn't always feel like eating.  I wish I could tell him to stop acting like a young dog, expending too much energy on silly fights, which are really for show and their entertainment! But, on good days, Ben still has a spring to his step, wags his tail and enjoys a good brushing on the grooming table.  Best of all, he still leans against my leg and looks at me as if I'm the only person for him!  That makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world!