Friday, November 23, 2012

Of cats and dogs

Yesterday, before Thanksgiving dinner, my son arrived with a dog that he's pet sitting for a friend. When the big dog came into the house, Sunny (my cat with the cocked head) was sitting in the living room. Sunny hunkered down with hackles raised, his eyes glowing in fear. The elderly dog sauntered right past Sunny completely uninterested and sat down. Sunny looked stunned for a moment then took off running and dived under a bed.

My granddaughter and her family were also here. Her husband, Ty is a policeman and along with his black lab pal Kino, they are the town's K-9 unit. He and the dog went through all the strict training for the K-9 service. Kino lives with the family but they didn't bring him along.
              See Kino sneaking into the picture on the right side.

When we got on the topic of dogs chasing cats, Ty said that part of Kino's police training was aversion to cats. He said the first time Kino went after a cat, he got a big jolt from his shock collar and never did it again. (It sounds cruel but I suppose they need to rigidly reinforce it in the dog's mind.)

That reminded me of the picture that's been floating around online for years that shows the cat marching past a row of German Shepherds.


                              I love the tension in the shot.

17 comments:

Carmella said...

That is so funny! I was just looking at that classic cat/police dog photo today. Those are very good dogs. And that is a very brave cat. Or dumb. I won't say anymore because I know you are a cat fan, Ms. Sparrow.

Susan said...

That reminds me of a dear friend's dog; he's a service dog does the same thing. What a lovely family, by the way, XOXO

Linda said...

LOL Ms. Sparrow! Sunny was in shock. :) Great post...and that photo is one I remember well. Thank you for sharing.

Rian said...

My 'inside' cats have never met a dog... so I'm not sure what they would do. (Well, I know that Ghost would have a stress kidney attack and have to go to the Vet's.) But I've known 'outside' cats to actually go after a dog if he got too close, so you never know.

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

Interesting! And I love the family photo!

The Odd Essay said...

I love that picture of your family inside the picture frame. How clever!

Buttercup said...

Great picture. I wish I had that restraint when I saw cookies.

Jane and Chris said...

Oh poor baby Sunny. I hope he got extra treats.
Jane x

Joanne Noragon said...

Those pictures are priceless. So was Sunny, removing himself from the scene after he accounted for all his legs and tail.

Elaine said...

I love the family photograph!

I also love the cat/dog photograph. Our cats treat the dogs with the same nonchalance; the relationship works because the dogs worked out that the cats are fed on demand and, if they are sneaky enough, they can hoover up the left-overs before the bowls are lifted. It is amazing what the cats can get away simply because of that!

Jan said...

My neighbour does 'doggy day care' as a job. My Thomas sits at the window and is endlessly fascinated by the dogs that come to visit over the road! Jx

The Owl Wood said...

I remember once seeing my first dog, Trix, chase and corner a cat in someone's garden. I was about to expect the worst when nothing happened. Cat and dog looked at each other, shrugged and peaceably went their separate ways. It was as though they'd reached the end of the script and (thankfully) didn't know what usually came next, so each just exited stage left, game over. Phew!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Two excellent photos! Funny story too about Sunny and the big dog's first meeting

Linda Starr said...

You have the best family photos, I love this one with the picture frame, and the dogs and cat, amazing, truly amazing.

Kittie Howard said...

I must be on some weird planet for I've never seen that photo - but loved it, cat person that I am. But, I had a Shep once, Charlie, and am partial to that breed. None of my cats ever gave a flip about dogs, LOL.

Ms Sparrow, you have a beautiful family!

Kittie Howard said...

Thanks, Ms Sparrow! Rings flew to South Africa last night for Rachel to work her magic. BTW, Rachel's a great blogging friend, but she also has a business, Morgan Media, I respect. Anyway, I'm beyond excited. Candy's death didn't have to happen. She had a pre-existing condition and lost her insurance. It was an unplanned pregnancy. Rings is about the KKK, not exactly a popular topic. I'm hoping it does well because I've got a bee in my bonnet about these hate groups and would like to see an unpopular topic hit high enough for people to say Hmmm, maybe there's something here we need to talk about. The next novella will include child birth. Hemingway I'm not, but I'll keep plugging away. Your support means a lot to me!

troutbirder said...

I love that pictures of all the GSD's and the cat. My two, Baron and Simba reenact the Cold War each day. Some threatening gestures but basically peaceful coexistence....;)