Dylan and Knox Spend the Weekend Together

As many of you know, Dylan came to live with me via my niece Crystal. She has his brother, Knox. Bred as Bochis, a mix between a Boston Terrier and a Chihuahua, these two little fellas were the last of the litter, unwanted with uncertain futures. When Knox and Dylan are together we call them "The Boys," capital T, capital B being appropriate here for these two.

Originally, I was supposed to take Knox. However, when Crystal came to visit and brought the little guys for the first time, it didn't' take long to figure out that Dylan was mine. He and I both agreed on this. It was a good thing, because after the two-hour ride, Crystal had fallen in love with Knox.

Over the past almost 14 months that Dylan has been with me, the joy, humor, love and lessons he has given me are immeasurable. He has become the PR Director of Barbara's Pet Care Services and I must say he does a fine job. When he goes with me to play with clients' dogs, he's helpful, respectful, and quite professional.

A couple of weekends ago, it was time for Dylan's and Knox's yearly checkup and vaccinations. The Boys go to the vet together, as pictured at left. So, Knox brought his human family with him to Frankfort on Friday evening and they spent the weekend at Capital Plaza and Knox spent the weekend with Dylan at my house.

The Blanket

Dylan was anything but a gracious host to his brother. Knox, on the other hand, was quite the amicable guest. He allowed Dylan to eat his food and play with his belongings without a fuss - UNTIL - Dylan tried to drag his "blankey" out of his crate. This was a soft winter scarf that belongs to Crystal and so it smelled like Knox's human. It was a great comfort to him during his stay here. That, Dylan could NOT have!

It was so funny, when Dylan tried to pull the scarf out of the crate; Knox crawled into the crate, laid down on the scarf and started growling quite threateningly right in Dylan's face. Dylan turned around nonchalantly like "Okay, you can have that old thing. I didn't want it anyway."

But that wasn't the end of it, in a few minutes Knox came out of his crate and Dylan went back again to get the scarf. This time he grabbed it and ran - into the living room and jumped up on the couch. Knox was close behind. He growled at Dylan, jumped onto the couch, sat down on his blankey and growled some more, like "Now! Brother! I dare you to try to get it."

I had to intervene in this quarrel before it got too vicious and return Knox's blanket to the crate and tell Dylan not to bother again. This seemed to work for this altercation. However, that was just one of many.

Sleeping Arrangements

Dylan was trained to sleep with me from his very first night here. Knox, on the other hand, was trained to sleep in his crate. I tried my best to get Knox to relax and lay down with us, but he wasn't having it. He went into his crate when he was ready for bedtime. The first night he went straight to sleep, the second night he cried and whined and wanted his momma. I finally turned the lights out and let him whine for a little while by himself and he went to sleep.

Personalities

Dylan is very excited to see people and never meets a stranger. Knox is much more reserved and saves all his love for his family. Knox is such a sweet dog and when Dylan was in the other room or outside in his backyard, I got to see more of Knox's personality. He's funny and loves to play tug-of-war just like his brother and makes many of the same little quirky noises that Dylan makes when he's playing. From time to time Knox wanted to sit in my lap. In the picture at right you can see what a handsome pup he is.

Don't Watch Us!

Dylan and Knox started playing together Saturday as long as they thought no human was watching. I'd hear them tumbling and wrestling in the next room and all sounded well. When I would go to watch, they appeared to be having a great time - UNTIL - they noticed me watching. Then the growling and posturing would start again.

Crystal had taken some pictures and videos of The Boys that she sent along to me. When I was sorting email, right above the pictures and videos that Crystal emailed to me was one from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The title was "Sibling Rivalry." Go figure.

In the article featured in the Cummings' email, the following paragraph jumped out at me because it's so true for what went on between Dylan and Knox over their weekend together.

Your very presence may cause the most kerfuffles between two dogs who live together. Many pairs of dogs will amiably share a sofa and take breaks together to bark at the mailman, only to become aggressive toward each other once their human parents show up on the scene. That's because you are the most special, coveted resource.

Just like The Boys!