Had to finally put the sentry (Jakk) upstairs to be able to write this post. He just could not be happy sitting in a nice Sunday sun, listening to the birds chirp, and watching the squirrels dig up the rest of my garden. Back and forth, and back and forth.
So I put him upstairs with his nemesis, Frankie. Frankie is a 30 pound African Hunting Dog/Jack Russell mix. And, his mission in life is to get Jakk. His intentions used to be more overt, but he's gotten a little more sneaky with age.
When he was younger, I used to watch him watch Jakk while Jakk, sitting atop a living room chair, looked at himself in the mirror -- I did say he was a prima donna, didn't I? As there was nothing on the other side of the chair but open space, it must have been quite a temptation to shoot up on the chair and knock Jakk over. He would fall like Qbert.
And, one day when I wasn't watching, that is exactly what Frankie did -- he flew up on the chair and body-slammed Jakk off his perch. Boom! Fortunately, Jakk, who has fine bones, did not sustain any injuries, this time. I can't say the same of Frankie, and we'll leave it at that. However, Jakk, who was unfamiliar with jealousy, who can be quite stubborn, did not learn his lesson, and was body-slammed off the furniture a few more times by Frankie before he learned his lesson. That is when Frankie became King of the Throne. From his lofty perch (Top of the Chair) he could look outside the bay windows and see other dogs walking on his turf. Or he could trampoline himself from the chair to the couch, over the ottoman, back onto the chair for half an hour. I finally re-arranged the living room furniture a few times thinking I could curtail his barking and bad behavior, but out of consideration for other things he was doing, moved the chair back, and yes, Frankie went back to barking, using the furniture as a trampoline and more creative things.
Like I mentioned earlier, Frankie's mission is to get Jakk. My husband never believed he was jealous of Jakk and so, he did not see the crazed look on Frankie's face before his 30 pounds flew down from his perch on the Throne and landed on the 12 pound Jack Russell. Splat! Like a fly swatter! I heard Jakk's screeching from the other room and when I got to the living room immediately knew what had happened, especially since the poor Jack Russell was limping. Frankie, in spite of his Guardian Angel, got a good time-out and has since elected more subtle avenues to get Jakk. But he usually looks to see where I am, now, and for good reason. I do work and am not always home, but Jakk, the prima donna, always lets me know when Frankie has done him wrong and is the victim of an affinity (like species, in this case) crime.
So, what do you think? Is this all in my head, and normal doggy behavior or is Frankie exhibiting classic sibling rivalry?
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