Does Sibling Rivalry Exist Among Dogs?

by Brenda J. Christie

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.

Who Is Jakk?

by Brenda J. Christie

Jakk is a 15-year old, 12 pound Jakk Russell terrier who always seems to think someone is out to get him.  He's a little old now, but for the longest time he used to think he was Mighty Dog.

Jakk is everything a terrier should be:  temperamental, high energy, unpredictable, stubborn.  He is also self-indulgent, but I'm probably more responsible for his having that trait than he is since I've had him since he was a few months old.  So is there really anyone else to blame for his behavior?  He also doesn't play well with other dogs.  No, Top Dog does not do that.

Jakk was given to me by one of the guys on my staff after my last miscarriage at the age of 40.  And I still don't have any kids, so you can imagine the special place this dog has in my heart.  I am his guardian angel and his protector.  He can do no wrong.  And it's everybody elses (i.e., my husband's) fault.  So yes, I'm probably the one who helped him into who he is today.  But at the end of the day, he makes me laugh, so it's okay.

I'm always talking about Jakk to my friends and they say, you should write a book and maybe one day I will, but for now, blogging is just fine.

Tonight, after being sleep deprived for 5 nights, I'm sleeping in the basement.  Alone.  One of those 5 nights, Jakk woke me up 3 times.  First he wanted water, then he wanted to go out and the third time, he wanted an eye bath, and yes, I accommodated him all 3 times, but in all honesty, I was thinking about giving him a tranquilizer.  He, on the other hand, will sleep until noon or later if you don't wake him up.  But some of us working stiffs have to get up at the crack of dawn.  So, sleep is a commodity.

Last night he woke me up and I put him out of the room only to hear his nails clicking on the hardwood floors as he walked back and forth like a sentry on duty.  I could hear him through my foam ear plugs, back and forth and back and forth until I finally got up and let him in.  I think I finally fell back asleep at 4 am.  The alarm went off at 5 and I got up and Jakk kept sleeping. Whadda life, as they say in New York.

So over the next few posts, I'll share with you some of the things that make Jakk a prima donna dog and some of our adventures.  For now, I'm going to hit the sack.  Although I'm down in the basement, I'm sure Jakk will find a way to wake me up, even from upstairs.

B