Tale of Two Terriers!

We recently had new neighbors move in just across the road, and with them came two small dogs (probably Jack Russell terriers)!

We were a little concerned at first because those two “guys” would escape out the front door whenever it was opened, and run out to the sidewalk. They were also quite vocal, although it did seem to be an excited “chorus”.

It was not uncommon for them to escape, just as people were walking by, with some degree of confusion as a result. We could see examples of people enjoying the apparent attention, but we also saw a few people step back as these two little barking dogs approached. It did seem to be an example of rather careless (or thoughtless) dog ownership, and we were also concerned that they might run out into the road which would likely be tragic..

Within a week or two, the matter seemed to getting under control and while the dogs would still run out, one of the owners would also be out and obviously had good control of the situation as the dogs were clearly trained to respond to commands. We also soon discovered that their vocal presentation was indeed simply excitement, and they were both very friendly dogs. I was still a little concerned about their off-leash moments because, as friendly as they clearly were, not everybody who walked by was going to know that!

Today we were out walking Ray and, on the way back home, we were on the “new neighbors” side of the road. As we approached their home, we noticed that they were out and so stopped to chat. No sooner had we stopped when the two dogs came running across the front garden and down the driveway and heading directly for Ray!

Ray has been very good with approaching dogs for some time now, but I watched him anyway as these two approached him rather speedily… and noisily! He simply stood still and looked down at them seemingly most unconcerned. Who could not love Ray!

One of the dogs then suddenly turned and dashed back through the front door and into its home, reappearing moments later with a stuffed and very ragged toy! It then proceeded to go right up to Ray and drop the toy in front of him. It seemed to be a pretty obvious gesture of friendship, but they did not know of course that Ray rarely plays with toys! He (Ray) looked at it, and turned his head for a treat! I contemplated trying to coax perhaps a game of “tug” but he rarely does that even in his own garden and so, as his disinterest was clear, I did not pursue the idea.. He just decided to relax on the sidewalk with his front legs crossed and just chill, probably listening to us talking, and no doubt watching all the movements around him.

He is one very aloof dog. Aristocratic background obviously!

 

49 thoughts on “Tale of Two Terriers!”

  1. Great blog! I have a parson jack russell and I would never leave the door open cause she would just run out. She is a typical terrier in that way. I must say that the one that gave your dog the toy was well behaved. Most jack russells guard their stuff and won’t let anyone near them.

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    • Hi Cecilia, and welcome to my Blog. I have a wonderful group of regular Followers (they play well together!) so I am sure that you will fit in very nicely! Ray is quite indifferent to any small dog that gives him a problem, but our neighbor’s JR’s seem to like having a “large” friend so it is a very amicable relationship!
      I hope that you will find the time to explore the various categories here, and I shall look forward to hearing from you again.

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  6. So sweet that the other dog brought a toy to his new friend, Ray!
    MY MOM goes for walks often and one of her biggest complaints is the off-leash dogs that come barking and charging at her. I am always telling her I am sure there is nothing to worry about, this is normal for a dog to want to protect their territory. There is a slim chance they want to hurt anyone. Of course, this is the animal lover in me talking. I do realize there are times for alarm. I have to admit, I have come across what seem like some pretty aggressive dogs. Although this calls for some concern, I don’t blame the dog. I just respect them and move on so I am not bothering them.
    MY biggest pet peeve about an off-leash dog is that they might run off and get hurt or lost (as you touched on in your post). Everyone says their dog knows not to run off. But let’s be real, they are an animal and we don’t know and can’t predict their every move. No one can guarantee that if their dog sees a squirrel, a rabbit, another dog, or what have you, that they won’t act on instinct and run after it. Dangerous game to be playing with our precious pets!

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  9. Wouldn’t you have loved to know what those 2 little dogs were saying about the “Gentle Giant” that they met. Ray deserves more treats for being so dignified when they came running to him all excitedly. Guess they wanted to show him that they were “small but mighty!” 🙂
    How sweet of the one to offer Ray its toy! You should definitely start carrying your camera with you on walks with Ray, for you just never know. Hey you are walking with the perfect model, so there is always a photo op 🙂

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  10. I woulds love to see Genis and Ray playing together: Genis loves to play soccer – he just holds onto his ball (he sits on it so nobody else kan get hold of it). If Ray is also that energetic, playtime will be a pretty quiet affair.

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  12. Hero worship from the JRT no doubt. Good on Ray for acceptance of the situation, even if not the toy.
    You’re right, you can’t help but love him!
    PS: I’ve never been a fan of JRTs as a rule as I find them unpredictable. But some are quite cute.

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  14. I’ve been around both delightful and biting J. R.’s. I am especially glad Ray handled the situation in such a smart and mature way. Lexi would be saying, good dog, Ray!

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  15. The dog that lived next dog was like that. She was a Portuguese Water Dog and very yappy. The neighbor has an underground fence but she would race right up to it and bark her head off at anyone (especially a dog) passing by. She was very friendly but you didn’t know that from her bark. If you came up to offer your hand for a sniff she would bring her stuffed toy and drop it at your feet. However, you weren’t allowed to take it or she would pull it out of your hands and take off. Ray has come a long way.

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