We have been puppy-sitting our neighbor's puppy, Manny, this weekend and it has been an adventure! He's a really good puppy, but it takes some getting used to having a puppy around again. The kids have LOVED it, especially Lauren, who thrives on caretaking. She has been very responsible in taking Manny outside, running him around the yard and keeping an eye on him in the house. What has been most interesting to us is watching Dixie's response to Manny. The beginning of the first day Dixie was very submissive and Manny was ruling over her. By that evening Dixie was the alpha-dog with Manny seeming very puzzled by this! Now they just "play" - as in wrestle and chase. It's fun to see Dixie with a playmate and it takes us back to when Dixie was the puppy and Ripley, our friends Emily and Dave's dog, was the annoyed older dog! So, here's Dixie and Manny playing and then poor Manny crawled right into his kennel and passed out cold! Dixie did the same upstairs in her bed : )
